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Phyllis Battelle

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Phyllis Battelle
BornJanuary 4, 1922
Dayton, Ohio, U.S.
DiedFebruary 25, 2005 (aged 83)
Other namesPhyllis Van Horn
OccupationJournalist
RelativesAnnie Maude Norton Battelle, Gordon Battelle

Phyllis Marie Battelle Van Horn (January 4, 1922 – February 25, 2005) was an American journalist, a columnist for the International News Service (and later United Press International). In 1957 she was described as "one of the most widely read columnists in America."[1]

Early life and education

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Battelle was born in Dayton, Ohio, the daughter of Gordon Sellers Battelle and Ina Marie Sides Battelle.[2] She graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1944.[1] She was a member of Delta Gamma sorority.[3]

Career

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Battelle first worked in newspapers at the Dayton Journal-Herald; one of her colleagues there was Erma Bombeck, who was also just starting her career.[4][5] Battelle moved to New York City after college, and was a fashion writer at Women's Wear Daily.[1] She became women's editor for the International News Service,[6] and wrote the service's "Assignment: America" column and from 1955 into the late 1980s. In 1951, Battelle won the Newswomen's Club of New York's award for distinguished writing.[7] She was known for her celebrity interviews,[8][9] and fashion reports,[10] but she also covered diplomacy,[11][12] the arts,[6] and cultural controversies,[13] including the Karen Ann Quinlan case.[14]

Battelle also wrote a theatrical sketch, Hobby Op'ry, which was produced in Dayton in 1947.[15] In 1974, she was named to the Order of the Delta Gamma Rose.[16]

Publications

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In addition to her Assignment: America columns, which were widely syndicated, Battelle wrote for magazines including Good Housekeeping[17][18] and The Ladies' Home Journal.[19][20] She also worked with the Quinlan family on a book about Karen Ann Quinlan.[21]

  • "Two Phyllis Battelles Meet in San Francisco" (1956; one of her Assignment: America columns)[22]
  • "Americans Live by the Numbers" (1963; one of her Assignment: America columns)[23]
  • "Theatre for the Deaf" (1967)[24]
  • "'Let me sleep': the story of Karen Ann Quinlan" (1976)[19]
  • Karen Ann: The Quinlans Tell Their Story (1977)[21]
  • "Help Find Etan Patz" (1980)[17]
  • "The Triplets Who Found Each Other" (1981, about the brothers featured in the 2018 documentary Three Identical Strangers)[18]
  • "Down on the Farm with Sissy Spacek" (1985)[20]
  • "Pierce Brosnan: Please Don't Call Me a Sex Symbol!" (1985)[25]
  • "Raquel: Celebrating the Body Beautiful" (1985)[26]
  • "Karen Ann Quinlan: Ten Years Later" (1985)[27]

Personal life

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Battelle married fellow journalist Arthur Honnold Van Horn in 1957.[2] They lived in Pound Ridge, New York, and had a son, Jonathan.[16] She died in 2005, at the age of 83.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Jaycox, Betty (1957-07-14). "Modern Career Woman Has Old-Fashioned Views". The Akron Beacon Journal. p. 72. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Phyllis Battelle Wed; I.N.S. Writer Is Married to Arthur H. Van Horn". The New York Times. 1957-12-07. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
  3. ^ Obetz, Robin White. "Alpha Rho Celebrates 50 Years" Anchora of Delta Gamma 90(3)(Fall 1974): 13.
  4. ^ "Phyllis Battelle to Speak in Lima". The Lima Citizen. 1959-08-18. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Edwards, Susan (1997). Erma Bombeck : a life in humor. Internet Archive. New York : Avon Books. pp. 40–41. ISBN 978-0-380-97482-5 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ a b Battelle, Phyllis (1953-10-18). "24-year-old Girl Produces Year's First Dramatic Hit". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 56. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Phyllis Battelle Will Present Award to Woman Journalist". Omaha World-Herald. 1957-04-01. p. 3. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (1965-09-28). "The Julie Andrews Nobody Knows: 'Living Apart a Lot, It's Not Easy at All!'". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 49. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (1958-09-01). "Laughter Brings Love, Buddy Hackett Believes". Anderson Daily Bulletin. p. 9. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (1954-07-16). "Well-Dressed Women Will Wear Gowns Like These This Fall". The Times-Tribune. p. 11. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (1953-12-03). "U. N. Consultant Asserts America 'Disliked' Abroad". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 28. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Widener, Alice (1963-10-28). "A Medal for Battelle". Longview Daily News. p. 4. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (1967-12-04). "Needed: 'A New Moral Corrective Besides Hell'". The Charlotte News. p. 1. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Undercoffler, Joann (1977-11-13). "Karen Ann Quinlan: The true story is told". Mount Vernon Argus. p. 119. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Phyllis Battelle Sketch to be Presented Here". The Dayton Herald. 1947-04-19. p. 19. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b "Order of the Delta Gamma Rose" The Anchora of Delta Gamma 90(Summer 1974): 4.
  17. ^ a b Battelle, Phyllis (February 1980). "Help Find Etan Patz". Good Housekeeping. 190: 66–74.
  18. ^ a b Battelle, Phyllis (February 1981). "The Triplets Who Found Each Other". Good Housekeeping. 192 (2): 74–80.
  19. ^ a b Battelle, Phyllis (September 1976). ""Let me sleep": the story of Karen Ann Quinlan". The Ladies' Home Journal. 93 (9): 69–76+. ISSN 0023-7124. PMID 11665200.
  20. ^ a b Battelle, Phyllis (January 1985). "Down on the Farm with Sissy Spacek". The Ladies' Home Journal. 102 (1): 46 – via Internet Archive.
  21. ^ a b Quinlan, Joseph; Quinlan, Julia; Battelle, Phyllis (1977). Karen Ann: The Quinlans Tell Their Story. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0-385-12666-3.
  22. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (1956-08-29). "Two Phyllis Battelles Meet in San Francisco". Evansville Courier and Press. p. 15. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (1963-07-12). "Americans Live by the Numbers". The Solano-Napa News Chronicle. p. 12. Retrieved 2024-05-15 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (March 1967). "Theatre for the Deaf". Braille Monitor: 130–131 – via Internet Archive.
  25. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (January 1985). "Pierce Brosnan: Please Don't Call Me a Sex Symbol!". The Ladies' Home Journal. 102 (1): 76 – via Internet Archive.
  26. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (February 1985). "Raquel: Celebrating the Body Beautiful". The Ladies' Home Journal. 102 (2): 44 – via Internet Archive.
  27. ^ Battelle, Phyllis (April 1985). "Karen Ann Quinlan: Ten Years Later". The Ladies' Home Journal. 102 (4): 118–119 – via Internet Archive.
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