01/16/2018
Such a great story on one of the strongest women within the community we service!
Happy Birthday, Juanita Davis.
“The Queen of the Tribune” started her career at the request of editor Tom McKnight in 1956. She left the Mooresville Cotton Mills with some experience with the plant’s newsletter, the Mooresville Medallion. She and public relations head Paul Caldwell edited the weekly publication that was part of the Tribune. She liked the work and was active in the community, so the transition to the newspaper was a natural one. As the Women’s Editor she covered weddings and engagements, teas and showers and noted babies born and patients I the Lowrance Hospital. It was all the news that was fit to print… and then some. She and the local women’s groups developed as a force in the local business community. She joined Verlin Davis, Jane Cagle, Hazel Basinger, Bobbie Cannon and others in organizing the Business and Professional Women’s group. She brought women’s’ issues to the forefront of discussion in her many of her articles and features. Davis covered all the events with equal interest and reported the who, what, where, when, and why for a growing number of loyal readers. Brides could look forward to sharing their happy day with the community, and she organized an annual bridal special edition to help with the planning and to put the spotlight on local merchants and businesses. Juanita Davis may not have started with the idea of being a journalist, but she certainly was a fine one. She wrote her columns with integrity and attention to all the details. Her caring spirit and interest was felt in each and every word, making her not only the “queen of the Tribune,” but an extraordinary journalist.
Juanita is pictured with Tribune City Editor Everette Jones attending a NC Press Awards event.
