Female Photographer Broke Ground At The Eagle
In the early 1950s, there were still many vocations without any women, including the photography department at The Wichita Eagle.
In 1952, LuVerne Paine changed that.
"She loved her work at The Eagle," said Charlie Rollins, retired chief photographer for the newspaper. "She was the only woman, but there was no conflict between her and the rest of the photo staff."
Mrs. Paine died Monday in a Wichita care facility. She was 91.
Mrs. Paine was born Jan. 21, 1918, in Lancaster and attended school in nearby Atchison. She began her career in photography in 1952, when she moved to Wichita and began work at The Eagle.
"She was initially hired as a lab technician, keeping an eye on the photo wire," Rollins said. "As time went on, her duties increased and she started doing a lot of our studio work."
When current Eagle photo editor Brian Corn was hired in 1979, Mrs. Paine had become a staff photographer.
"She did almost all the studio work when I started," Corn said. "Anyone who came in for an interview and needed a mug shot would be photographed by LuVerne."
Current Eagle staff photographer Mike Hutmacher remembered her as a cleanliness watchdog in the darkroom.
"She would find out who made the mess and make sure they were the ones who cleaned it up," Hutmacher said.
"She was like the mom and the other 12 of us guys were like her kids."
Read complete article in Kansas.com
In 1952, LuVerne Paine changed that.
"She loved her work at The Eagle," said Charlie Rollins, retired chief photographer for the newspaper. "She was the only woman, but there was no conflict between her and the rest of the photo staff."
Mrs. Paine died Monday in a Wichita care facility. She was 91.
Mrs. Paine was born Jan. 21, 1918, in Lancaster and attended school in nearby Atchison. She began her career in photography in 1952, when she moved to Wichita and began work at The Eagle.
"She was initially hired as a lab technician, keeping an eye on the photo wire," Rollins said. "As time went on, her duties increased and she started doing a lot of our studio work."
When current Eagle photo editor Brian Corn was hired in 1979, Mrs. Paine had become a staff photographer.
"She did almost all the studio work when I started," Corn said. "Anyone who came in for an interview and needed a mug shot would be photographed by LuVerne."
Current Eagle staff photographer Mike Hutmacher remembered her as a cleanliness watchdog in the darkroom.
"She would find out who made the mess and make sure they were the ones who cleaned it up," Hutmacher said.
"She was like the mom and the other 12 of us guys were like her kids."
Read complete article in Kansas.com
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