Episode 15: The Columnist- Catherine Ford
Using words like “seasoned” or “veteran” hardly captures the depth of experience of long-time newspaper columnist Catherine Ford.
She got her first reporting job at a major daily newspaper (The Calgary Herald) when she was just 19 years old. It was 1964, the year the American’s finally passed their Civil Rights Act prohibiting employment discrimination against women, and the first year married women in Canada were legally allowed to open a bank account without their husband’s signature. Not that the Herald was on the forefront of change.
She learned quickly how to survive in a smoke-filled, booze-fueled, male-dominated newsroom, figuring out how to beat the guys at their own game. I still don’t recommend trying to match her drink for drink. Did I mention she just turned eighty?
She may have got her first job through family connections, but she rose up the ladder with grit, determination, and a unique voice to earn a national column on politics and social issues. Some called her “Alberta’s Wild Rose”, thorns and all, and her punchy, often acerbic columns had a way of not only speaking truth to power, but getting under the skin of politicians at every level.
She’s considered a mentor by many of the female reporters who have followed in the path she pioneered. A glimpse at her CV explains why.
Over her 60 year career, Catherine was Associate Editor of the Calgary Herald for eight years and, prior to that, the paper's editorial-page columnist. She has worked on newspapers across Canada and has returned to Calgary on three separate occasions.
She was awarded a Southam Fellowship for study at the University of Toronto and subsequently worked for Southam News as the Ontario Correspondent, based in Toronto.
She’s won ten Western Ontario Newspaper Awards, including the Joan May Trophy for columnists; is a National Media Award winner for the Canadian Association for the Advancement for Women and Sports and holds an International Fire Fighters' media award.
Her non-fiction book, Against The Grain: An Irreverent View of Alberta was published in 2005 to acclaim and a position on the best-seller lists. The book was published in paperback in 2006.
She is a past president of Mensa Canada, a former member of the board of directors of the National Conference of Editorial Writers, and in 2005, she was awarded an honourary doctorate from the University of Calgary. She is also the recipient of the 2006 Freedom of Expression award and the 2006 Bob Edwards Award.
She “retired” in 2004 from her day job as a national columnist for the CanWest chain of newspapers. But she still writes a column today for what’s left of the Calgary Herald.
So enough of all that. Time for a walk. Click below.