Skip to main content

Bess Winakor papers

 Collection
Identifier: Midwest-MS-Winakor

Scope and Content of the Collection

Newspaper articles and story files of Bess Winakor, Chicago correspondent for Women's Wear Daily, 1967-1974, and reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, 1974-1978. Includes background materials, interview notes, and dispatches for stories about Hugh Hefner, Judge Julius Hoffman and Pat Nixon, materials from a 1976 trip to Iran and the 1977 Carter inauguration, as well as scrapbooks containing her articles for Women's Wear Daily, the Chicago Sun-Times, W, and Home Furnishings Daily.

Dates

  • Creation: 1967-1977

Creator

Language

Materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The Bess Winakor papers are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Bess Winakor papers are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections at reference@newberry.org.

Biography of Bess Winakor

Chicago fashion correspondent and reporter.

Bess Winakor was born March 17, 1942, in Champaign, Illinois. She attended Northwestern University and graduated with degrees in Home Economics and Journalism. She began writing for Home Furnishings Daily in 1967, and continued as a fashion correspondent for Women's Wear Daily from 1967-1974, W (a Women's Wear Daily magazine) from 1972-1973, and the Chicago Sun-Times from 1974-1978. Winakor also worked as a publicist for over 25 years as head of Bess Winakor Communications, with clients in the fashion, restaurant, and entertainment industries, as well as the arts and charities. Winakor died November 13, 2007.

Extent

7 Linear Feet (2 boxes and 44 oversize volumes)

Abstract

Newspaper articles and story files of Bess Winakor, Chicago correspondent for Women's Wear Daily, 1967-1974, and reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times, 1974-1978. Includes background materials, interview notes, and dispatches for stories about Hugh Hefner, Judge Julius Hoffman and Pat Nixon, materials from trips to Iran in 1976, and Washington D.C. in 1977 for the Carter inauguration, as well as scrapbooks containing her articles for Women's Wear Daily, the Chicago Sun-Times, W, and Home Furnishings Daily.

Organization

Papers are organized in the following series:

Series 1: Story Files, 1967-1977
Box 1
Series 2: Scrapbooks, 1967-1977
Volumes 1-39

Collection Stack Location

1 36 4

Provenance

Gift of Polly Pancoe, 2009.

Processed by

Kelly Kress, 2009.

Acknowledgements

This inventory was created with the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this inventory do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Title
Inventory of the Bess Winakor papers, 1967-1977
Status
Completed
Author
Kelly Kress
Date
©2009.
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
60 West Walton Street
Chicago Illinois 60610 United States
312-255-3512