Mary Virginia Parkhurst (1903 - 1990)

Born 26 Oct 1903 in Hammonton, Atlantic, New Jersey

Ancestors

Died 12 Jul 1990 at age 86 in Ramapo, Rockland, New York

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Biography

Ginny "interrupted her newspaper career to serve in the Women's Army Corps during World War II. She spent part of her enlistment in the South Pacific, developing Air Force photographs. She later called her military career "the smartest thing I ever did." After the war she resumed her roles as reporter and editor for the Rockland Journal-News." Source: https://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/nyacklib/id/5913/rec/2

https://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/nyacklib/id/6117/

"Private Mary Virginia “Ginny” Parkhurst was born in Hammonton, New Jersey. After graduating from Swarthmore College, she began to teach but soon realized she hated it. She then became a journalist, followed by society page editor for the Nyack Journal-News. Once she became bored of her job at the Journal-News, Parkhurst decided to enlist in the army. She traveled all by herself to downtown Manhattan to enlist and served overseas for three years (1943-46). After being discharged, Parkhurst returned to her home in Nyack and wrote a 26-page typewritten article, recollecting her experience. Imaging watching a python be killed to retrieve a chicken it had swallowed; Parkhurst did, and her transparent writing allows us to experience her life as a WAC serving overseas. She returned to the Nyack Journal-News after the war, and worked as a reporter until she retired in 1974. Moreover, Virginia Parkhurst was village historian, honored by the Nyack Board of Trustees and the first female member of the Nyack Fire Department. Virginia Parkhurst passed away on the 12th of June in 1990 at the age of 86. Those that knew Virginia Parkhurst describe her as a woman who had a fearless attitude as a reporter and the perfect description of a lady. Although never published, you can find Virginia Parkhurst’s article in the museum’s “Camp Shanks” collection, and more information about her and her article in our upcoming Crier! Photograph, Parkhurst holding a baby tiger, 1930s Photograph, Parkhurst as a Photo Lab Technician, 1945"

https://imglade.com/tag/virginiaparkhurst

"B2 THE JOURNAL-NEWS, SUNDAY, JUNE 17, 1990 Nyack bids farewell to a friend: Virginia Parkhurst By Stephanie Chang Staff Writer Close to 70 people joined together at Grace Episcopal Church in Nyack yesterday, to remember a woman who touched the lives of many Nyack residents for 61 years. Virginia Parkhurst, a former village historian and longtime reporter for The Journal-News, died June 12 at the age of 86. She was described by Nyack Village Clerk Jean Gardner as "the perfect description of a lady. "She showed us that we can live free and independently till the very end," Gardner said. "With the help of friends, she was useful till the end, and she was loved till the end." Parkhurst served as village historian until two months before her death. She was a reporter for The Journal-News for 37 years until her retirement in 1974. "It was her way to come in, write the story and then hand it in, leaving its fate to the editors. She sought no credit," said Arthur Gunther, who edits The Journal-News editorial page. "Somehow, the story always appeared, and Nyack and Orange-town readers got a firsthand, highly accurate account of a public meeting or whatever Ginny was covering." Gunther, who worked with Parkhurst from 1964 to 1974, recalled her fearless attitude as a reporter, using Jk '7 i J r 9 4 pv J U r A Kathy Gardner Members of the Nyack Fire Department mourn the loss of their only female member, Virginia Parkhurst. Madame Chiang Kai-shek's visit to Bear Mountain in 1947 as an example. "Virginia covered her and was told by her staff to walk three steps behind at all times," he said. "But Virginia marched to the head of the column, saying it was the only way she could get an interview with her." Gunther also noted Parkhurst's decorum, recalling an occasion when she returned to the newsroom after her car license plates had been stolen. "Ginny just wrote her story and then walked home that night so she would not disobey the law," he said, "even though there wasn't a cop in Nyack who would give her a ticket." Parkhurst's efforts to include positive stories in the newspaper about black citizens in the community was noted by Leonard Cooke, former president of the Nyack branch of the National Associaton for the Advancement of Colored People. "Virginia made it her duty to see that many articles were put in the newspaper that were not derogatory, but were really news," he said. "She wrote so many articles about me, people thought I was paying her for it." The Rev. Robert A. Jewett, who officiated at the service, described Parkhurst as "the perfect model of a human." "She was a beautiful example of what it means to be a lady, a woman, a good person," he said. "She stood tall, no matter how compact her life may have been. Other members of the community stood up during the service, some who were friends with Parkhurst since early childhood. "She was a wonderful, intelligent, loving woman," said a woman who grew up with Parkhurst. "She was strong and gentle; a non-judgmental friend." Nyack Fire Department members, dressed in uniform, also attended the service. Parkhurt was the first and only female member of the department. She also was a member of the Nyack Fire Patrol. ' pr . IP? ? Kathy Gardner ' Nyack Villaqe Clerk Jean Gard- : ner speaks fondly of Virginia ' Parkhurst. Richard Gutwillig, columnist for ( this newspaper, said he and other " journalists learned from Parkhurst's j work ethic and fair reporting style. Parkhurst scored "A-plus" on ; both the length and quality of her i life, Gutwillig said. ' "If life is how and who you touch ; along the way, Virginia touched tens ; of thousands and touched them all beautifully," Gutwillig said. "If life : is nothing more than going for your '. dreams, Virginia dreamed of a bet- ter Rockland, with the individuals j living here displaying better charac- i ter." - The Journal News, White Plains, New York, Sunday, June 17, 1990, Page 16

Sources

• "New Jersey, Reclaim the Records, New Jersey Birth Index, 1901-1903," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPSP-6WD8 : 20 August 2019), Mary V Parkhurst, 1903; records extracted by Reclaim The Records, images digitized by FamilySearch; citing Birth, New Jersey, United States, p. 51283, Reclaim The Records, Mill Valley, CA.
• "United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M4PN-8VM : accessed 4 October 2020), M Virginia Parkhurst in household of Laton M Parkhurst, Hammonton, Atlantic, New Jersey, United States; citing ED 50, sheet 16B, line 95, family 317, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 1016; FHL microfilm 1,821,016.
• "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q249-1WLN : 5 August 2020), Ginny, ; Burial, Hammonton, Atlantic, New Jersey, United States of America, Oak Grove Cemetery; citing record ID 164222648, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV5Q-LCZH : accessed 4 October 2020), Miss Virginia Parkhurst, New Jersey, United States, 17 Jul 1990; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing , born-digital text.