Writer’s Note: Before there could be a Barbara Walters or Megyn Kelly there first had to be a Malvina Stephenson. This is one in a series of articles featuring those with Sapulpa ties who became known nationally and, often times, internationally. From, doctors, inventors, and entrepreneurs to writers, sports figures, movie stars, singers, musicians and cartoonists, Sapulpa has its share of famous people who at one time called Sapulpa home.
—
In this day when the subject of “fake news” is in the news; when “media” itself (in the thinking of many) is in ill repute; when giants like CNN and the New York Times are accused of lying and/or of biased “news” reporting and then admit it; and when the FBI and CIA argue over the sources making claims that Russia has hacked Internet accounts and used “social media” to affect U.S. election outcomes, Sapulpans may want to pay tribute to “real journalism” as lived out in the life of one of its own.
Malvina Stephenson, a graduate of Sapulpa High School who went on to achieve national acclaim as perhaps the nation’s first widely-known female journalist, blazed the trail for many others. Her papers are at the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia, but a display featuring some of her work along with her desk, chair and her portrait can be seen in the Ed Livermore Room on the third floor of Sapulpa’s Historic Museum.
Docent and board member David Main told director Mike Jeffries that he was always impressed with the way Stephenson maintained her connection to Sapulpa — going as far as to return here to cast her vote in state and national elections. Even while in Washington D.C., she remained registered to vote here.
Some locally may not realize the significance of her career in journalism, but not only was Stephenson the first woman reporter to break on the national scene, she was a standard barrier for journalism ethics, for accurateness, fairness and integrity. She was solidly respected by her peers as well as the newspapers for which she wrote while covering the White House.
Mary Malvina Stephenson was born on October 17, 1911 in Paris, Texas. Her parents were Robert E. Stephenson and Allie Malvina King. The family lived in Hugo, Oklahoma, where Stephenson’s father practiced law.
In 1926, the family moved to Sapulpa. Three years later Malvina Stephenson graduated from Sapulpa High School, where she had been editor of the Moccasin Print, the school’s newspaper.
Stephenson attended Southeastern State Teachers College (now Southeastern Oklahoma State University) in Durant, graduating with an associate’s degree in history in 1932. She taught for three years before returning to school at the University of Oklahoma, where she earned her master’s degree in journalism in 1936. After graduation, Stephenson landed a job as feature writer with the Tulsa World where she was the only woman working at the city desk. Her career started and ended there. Her relationship with the World extended more than five decades.
In 1940, Stephenson moved to Washington, D.C. to launch a one-woman news bureau. She quickly became a regular political correspondent for a number of newspapers, including Tulsa’s World and Tribune. the Daily Oklahoman, Cincinnati Times-Star, the Kansas City Star, ABC Radio and United Feature. She also contributed stories to King Features Syndicate and the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA) news service. In addition, she reported for the West Virginia Network’s weekly radio program.
In 1944 when she joined Ray Henle to pioneer the weekly radio program, an article in “Editor and Publisher” identified Stephenson as “one of the capital’s leading press women.”
Stephenson covered the powerbrokers of Washington and often scooped the rest of the press corps. The young delegate from Oklahoma, David Boren was well-acquainted with his sister Sooner.
“Malvina Stephenson was a great journalist who was adept at getting the big story before anyone else,” said Boren at the time of Stephenson’s death in 1996. He was now president of the University of Oklahoma.
From 1951 to 1963, Stephenson worked as press secretary for Senator Robert S. Kerr of Oklahoma. She co-edited his book Land, Wood and Water, which was published in 1960. After the senator’s death in 1963, Stephenson did freelance work and resumed contributing stories to the Tulsa World.
In 1969, Stephenson and Vera Glaser formed the first female political columnist team when they began writing “Washington Offbeat.” During the mid-1970s, they also covered politics for WTOP News in Washington, doing radio news reports based on their columns. During the 1980s, Stephenson began writing a regular op-ed column for the Tulsa World.
Stephenson was named to the Oklahoma Journalism Hall of Fame in 1990. The next year she returned to Oklahoma permanently. She published a biography on Senator Robert Kerr in 1995.
In memory of her parents, Stephenson established a scholarship fund at the University of Oklahoma for students interested in pursuing political journalism. She died on February 16, 1996. She is buried in South Heights Cemetery in Sapulpa.
