North Carolina Highway Historical Marker honors newspaper publisher Elizabeth Swindell

Elizabeth Swindell

Elizabeth Swindell took on many jobs as a fill-in at the Wilson (N.C.) Daily Times during the Depression. She learned all the roles and when the opportunity presented itself in 1946, she purchased an interest in the newspaper, and acquired full ownership in 1954. For her pioneering role in journalism and community service, she will be recognized with a North Carolina Highway Historical Marker at Noon on June 30, at 906 Nash St. North, Wilson. A reception will follow the dedication.

Born Elizabeth Gold in 1896 in Wilson, in 1919 she married attorney Frederick Swindell. Until his death in 1933, she was a homemaker, mother and club woman. The Depression of the 1930s led to a reduced work week for employees at the Wilson Daily Times, which was founded by her father. Each job at the newspaper was vacant one day a week, and Swindell filled in, writing headlines, covering stories, working on advertising or doing other jobs as needed. 

After purchasing the paper in 1954, Swindell became a leader among North Carolina journalists as a founder and lifetime member of the Journalism Foundation of North Carolina, president of the Eastern North Carolina Press Association and first female president of the North Carolina Press Association. She was the only woman appointed to the Speaker Ban Study Commission in 1965. Among other honors, Swindell was inducted into the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame in 1994.