Colorado Press Women

Reid predicts Dems won't take over Congress this year

Washington Post journalist T.R. Reid lamented in his keynote address to conference attendees Friday morning about how infrequently control of the U.S. Congress switches parties.

"Our Congress has had the lowest turnover rate of any governing body in any democratic country," Reid said, adding that control of Congress has only switched parties twice in the 20th century.

"In 2004, 98.6 percent of incumbents won. Nowhere else does this happen. If you are an incumbent, to lose an election you would practically have to kill your mother in Yankee Stadium," he said.

Reid's speech focused on the Nov. 7 election, forecast by many political analysts to be a "historic, revolutionary election," with the Democrats gaining control of the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Reid, who has covered several political campaigns, isn't betting on it. Though political polls currently show that most Americans are dissatisfied with the Republican Party and the present administration, he doesn't think the Democrats will gain the 15 seats needed to take control of the House or the six seats needed to take over the Senate.

"Everything would have to break the right way" in six crucial states. If all six Democratic candidates do win Senate seats, "it will be by the skin of their teeth," he said.

When asked whom the Democrats will nominate for president in 2008, Reid said Sen. Hillary Clinton "leads in the polls, has the most money and the biggest organization. But Hillary's pro-war stance will be a problem." He suggested Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano could get the nod.

"We are way, way past the time when we should have a women president," Reid said.

— Judi Buehrer, Colorado Press Women

Limerick illuminates truth-telling women in western history

"Congenial and clever."

That's how Patty Limerick sees herself now, and she says that it's a long way from her former self, who used to be "controversial and contentious."

But either way, Limerick provided rapid-fire entertainment to a packed house as a keynote speaker at the annual conference's Friday luncheon.

Limerick, a tenured history professor at the University of Colorado-Boulder and director of the Center of the American West, is best known for her research that helps explode the myth that the Old West was settled and developed primarily by white men. She champions and furthers the discussion about the contributions of disenfranchised groups in the history of America and especially the West.

Amid delightful side-stories about her recent bout with adult chicken pox and an impressive trip to the White House as First Lady Laura Bush's guest, she spoke about "women truth-tellers" Margaret Carrington and Angie Debo.

Carrington, the wife of U.S. Army officer Brigadier General Henry Carrington, traveled west. In 1866, Henry took charge of Fort Phil Kearney and received great public scorn for a Sioux ambush that left 80 of his men dead. Margaret rose vociferously in her husband's defense, explaining in public speeches and a book that the Sioux had superior knowledge of the western terrain and therefore held a strong advantage over the white officers.

Limerick also spoke about historian Angie Debo, who was born in Kansas and reared in Oklahoma at the turn of the 19th century. Debo earned a Ph.D. in history — a most unusual feat for a woman at that time. As a woman, however, she found no jobs open to her, and neither did her "open and direct" examination of the acquisition of Oklahoma Territory from the Indians earn her points from the academic community. Through sheer determination she published her research, and her legacy remains on her tombstone: "Historian: Discover the Truth and Publish It."

According to Limerick, early historians who studied the field with a distinct bias used none of the knowledge provided by these or other women truth-tellers.

Limerick's own research appears in her well-respected books: The Legacy of Conquest, Something in the Soil, and The Real West.

— Sue Novak, Kansas Professional Communicators

Heloise imparts hints with wit and humor

National syndicated columnist Heloise strolled onto the stage Friday night with her long hair semi-secured into a bun by several pencils and chatting on the phone about an upcoming "helpful household hints" column.

Speaking on the "Trials and Tribulations of a National Columnist," the "queen of clean" and author entertained press women during the Communicator of Achievement Banquet Friday night.

Heloise was an animated vision of multitasking skills. Mopping a spill on the floor by tossing a towel on it and swishing it with her foot, Heloise spewed hints about uncluttering your house and your life.

Heloise researches all her topics before turning out a column, a job she inherited from her mother, the original Heloise, and has been doing for some 30 years. And she takes pride in her job, especially when she can pass along organizational tips from a top U.S. military officer.

Our intrepid reporter was on a fact-finding mission aboard a submarine. She said she figured if anyone knew how to get organized, it would be a crew that has to pack everything needed for nine months. The commander told Heloise that each crew member had their own job to do, plus one chore every day. Sometimes the chores were daily maintenance and sometimes they were longer-term maintenance. To Heloise, he imparted this wisdom: "A day without cleaning is a day without meaning."

To fellow NFPW members, Heloise imparted some wisdom of her own. Decide what is the most important thing to do in the morning and do it, she said. Another strategy is to do what you're avoiding first thing, so you quit wasting your thoughts and energy on it. In parting, Heloise encouraged the audience to be willing to let go of extra work commitments in order to achieve more balance between your work and personal life.

— Judi Buehrer & Erin Hottenstein, Colorado Press Women

Tad Bartimus encourages women to work together

Editor's note: Below is a synopsis of the speech given by Tad Bartimus. To read the full version of her speech, please visit this page.

More experienced female communicators should welcome and embrace young women and allow them to "stand on our shoulders and keep going," said Tad Bartimus, the Saturday morning keynote speaker.

Bartimus received a standing ovation after her talk inspiring her audience to strive to make their marks, mentor young women, and value themselves more than their work.

In her talk, titled "What I Know for Sure," she said those with more years of experience can encourage younger women. "We pushed the doors open and you are doing the same thing-the doors are just open a little wider now," Bartimus said. "I reach out to girls and young women. We absolutely must pass it on."

Bartimus practices what she preaches. Every two weeks she invites a group of eighth-grade girls to her home and gives them notebooks to fill up. She also helps Hawaii's elders and children write their personal stories.

After more than 28 years with the Associated Press, Bartimus now writes Among Friends, a weekly United Feature Syndicate column. She was the AP's first female bureau chief and first female special correspondent. She was the second woman sent by the AP to a war zone in Southeast Asia, where she covered the Vietnam War.

Bartimus left the AP due to health problems caused by an autoimmune disorder and the effects of Agent Orange. She has co-authored several books and is now writing a novel from her home in Hawaii.

Women should use the attitude of "you can do this," she said. "(Women should) not to take no for an answer from anyone," she said, adding, "There's lots of stuff to write and I want to get it all down." Bartimus encouraged women to apply for grants to support their work.

Bartimus also has assisted female writers by founding Journalism and Women Symposium for women editors and reporters. "We don't honor, value and take good enough care of ourselves," she said.

She continues to support her alma mater, the University of Missouri, where she went to journalism school at the recommendation of her father so she could "travel on someone else's dime."

The university's Women and Media Collection includes information about Bartimus' mother, who owned a small town Missouri newspaper where she wrote obituaries and "interviewed everyone who came to town."

When locals complained to Bartimus' father that she and her mother "think they can change the world," her dad responded: "Yes, and they're doing a damn good job of it."

Bartimus will put her column to bed 58 weeks from now when she will have written her 500th piece. Quoting former columnist Dave Barry, she quipped: "'You have to know when to stop milking the cow.'"

She also said that women need emotional and physical balance and that they should pursue personal happiness. "When, after 28 years, AP said I was too debilitated to work, I realized that I still had a brain. I picked myself up off the floor and found what I wanted to do," she said.

"This room overflows with power, energy and talent. Go home and use it. Make your own list of what you know for sure. You'll be amazed at how smart you are. If you find yourself working for someone dumber than you are, go elsewhere," she advised.

— Candace S. Hughes, Arizona Press Women

Walls learned not to apologize for scars

"There are facts, and then there is the truth," said Jeannette Walls, describing how she wrote about her hard-scrabble childhood in her bestselling memoir, The Glass Castle. "So much of life is deciding how to interpret what your experiences mean to you."

Walls, a celebrity columnist for MSNBC.com, said during her Saturday NFPW keynote speech that she struggled with her book for four years, writing it first as fiction and then turning it into a memoir.

"A lot of my childhood memories are crystal clear," she said. She relied on her mother, brother and older sister to confirm other memories and quotes. Walls acknowledged that all the quotes may not be 100 percent accurate, but they "are as I remember them" and portray the context and character of her family.

Walls spoke frankly about being ashamed about growing up poor and not disclosing that her parents had become homeless in New York while she was living on Park Avenue as a successful journalist. She decided to write The Glass Castle because of the complexities of her parents and what led to their homelessness.

She was also ashamed about the scars she bore as a result of severe burns she received when, at age 3, she was cooking her own dinner. When her first husband proposed, she felt she needed to show him the scars "so he wouldn't be shocked to know he was getting a pig in a poke."

She told him how she got the burns and that she thought they made her ugly. "I always wished I had smooth, silky skin. My husband said, 'Don't apologize for your scars. You survived. You have texture'."

As Walls began writing her book, she gained a new perspective of her childhood. "I realized that my father and mother had taught me a lot of valuable lessons. The story in the book about Dad taking me demon hunting is one of my most vivid memories. He taught me to face up to that demon, harness it and learn how to make your demons work with you."

Walls said she has heard from many readers who had similar childhoods. "We are all a lot more alike than I realized. I underestimated people's compassion and ability to understand complex issues."