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Mary Hirschfeld's Biography
A true citizen of the world.
Mary Hirschfeld (1909 to 1991) was a lifelong Cleveland, Ohio area resident. She graduated from Cleveland’s Glenville High School and attended the former Cleveland College of the Western Reserve University for two years.
A career journalist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Mary entered employment with the newspaper in 1929 as an editorial research assistant. She then became secretary to the city editor and began writing byline stories while still employed in that capacity.
From that point Mary went on through a number of assignments to become a foreign correspondent for the Plain Dealer. She evolved in to a specialist in Latin American affairs as well as covering stories in the Middle East and other parts of the world. Also, for a considerable amount of time she wrote a very popular column about business and social life in Greater Cleveland known as "Mary Hears".
While she reported from many parts of the world during her Plain Dealer career, Mary's travels took her extensively to Latin America, an area of the world for which she held a particular fascination. She is said to have made more than 50 trips to Central and South America. In addition to traveling there as a reporter she was the featured host for many group tours of the region.
Mary’s travels to Latin America reportedly took her to places such as a tin mine in Bolivia, a president’s ball in Nicaragua and the swamps of British Guinea. Her frequent trips took her to many other places a tourist would be very unlikely, if not forbidden, to visit.
Mary interviewed and reported on the leaders of many Latin American nations. In 1960 she was invited by the Brazilian government to personally receive a prize for the best series of articles on Brazil in an American newspaper.
As Mary continued to develop her exposure to Latin American affairs she came to be considered an expert in the area by many among the North American press. Mary wrote yet another Plain Dealer column called "Good Neighbors" in which she shared her insight regarding Latin America.
A past president of the World Association of Women Journalists and Writers, Mary worked at the Cleveland Plain Dealer to the age of 81, unfortunately having to take sick leave in 1990 and passing away in 1991.
In a January 5, 1992 retrospective story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer by reporter Dana Canedy entitled "Mary Hirschfeld, columnist ink in the blood, adventure in soul" Mary’s sister, long time Rocky River, Ohio resident Ruth Roser, contributed great insight into Mary’s passion for journalism.
"She started out as a very young worker in a publicity firm that was run by women," said Ruth, "and she had contact in that kind of business with the newspaper, and it all kind of rubbed off on her." Ruth Roser added, "I think she was fascinated with the drama of newspaper life and work and so on. She was completely absorbed in it. It was her whole life."
Mary gave freely of her time outside of the walls of the Plain Dealer by teaching classes on Latin American topics in public libraries, high schools and colleges. As well, she was always happy to give speeches covering various topics to students, civic groups and business leaders in the Cleveland, Ohio area.
Mary Hirschfeld and the late band leader Johnny Singer in August, 1989. Photo thanks to Ruth G. Zander Sindelar.
A great deal of information for this biography was found in the article:
MARY HIRSCHFELD, COLUMNIST INK IN THE BLOOD, ADVENTURE IN SOUL
Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH)
January 5, 1992
Author: DANA CANEDY PLAIN DEALER REPORTER
Additional information is from Mary Hirschfeld's obituary as published in the April 26, 1991 Plain Dealer.
DFH, August, 2006. Revised April, 2008.
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