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Mary C. Curtis
Maker interview details
Interview
- May 8, 2013
Profession
- Category:
MediaMakers
- Occupation(s):
Newspaper Editor
Newspaper Correspondent
Newspaper Columnist
Birthplace
- Born: September 4, 1953
- Birth Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Favorites
- Favorite Color: Blue
- Favorite Food: Fish
- Favorite Time of Year: Fall
- Favorite Vacation Spot: St. Tropez
Favorite Quote
"To whom much is given, much is required."
Biography
Newspaper editor and news correspondent Mary C. Curtis was born on September 4, 1953 in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the youngest of five children born to Thomas Curtis and Evelyn Curtis. After graduating from Seton High School in Baltimore, Maryland in 1971, she enrolled at Fordham University in New York City and graduated form there in 1975 with her B.A. degree in communications. In 2006, Curtis was awarded a Nieman Fellowship from Harvard University.
From 1985 through 1994, Curtis served in a variety of editing positions at The New York Times, including as editor of “Home, Education, Life” and “The Living Arts,” a section in the National Edition that she helped to develop. She also served as the Features editor for the Arts and Entertainment section at The Sun in Baltimore. In addition, Curtis held positions as a reporter and as an editor with The Associated Press in New York, Hartford, Connecticut and with the Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. She also contributed news articles to TheRoot.com, theGrio.com, National Public Radio Creative Loafing , and served as a national correspondent for AOL’s PoliticsDaily.com. In 2011, she joined the The Washington Post as a contributor for the blog, “She the People.” She covered the 2012 Democratic National Convention for The Charlotte Observer.
Curtis is a member the National Association of Black Journalists. Curtis received the Carmage Walls Prize in 2005 for commentary in a competition sponsored by the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association. She is the recipient of several Green Eyeshade Awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ). The North Carolina Associated Press recognized Curtis with the Thomas Wolfe Award for her writing “My Rebel Journey,” an examination of Civil War heritage groups. She received the Clarion Award from the Association for Women in Communications in 2010 and 2012. Curtis was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Region IV National Association of Black Journalists in 2004.
Curtis and her husband, Martin F. Olsen, live in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Mary C. Curtis was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on May 8, 2013.
Previews from the Digital Archive
Watch the full interview in the Digital Archive
- Slating of Mary C. Curtis
- Mary C. Curtis lists her favorites
- Mary C. Curtis describes her mother's family history
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her maternal great-grandmother, who was born into slavery
- Mary C. Curtis recalls her mother's upbringing in Baltimore, Maryland
- Mary C. Curtis continues to describe her mother's personality
- Mary C. Curtis describes her father's family background and her father's upbringing
- Mary C. Curtis describes how her parents met
- Mary C. Curtis describes her parents' personalities and who she takes after
- Mary C. Curtis lists her siblings
- Mary C. Curtis describes being the youngest of five children
- Mary C. Curtis recalls her earliest childhood memory
- Mary C. Curtis describes her neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland
- Mary C. Curtis describes the sights, sounds, and smells of growing up
- Mary C. Curtis remembers being on the television show 'Romper Room'
- Mary C. Curtis describes her elementary school, St. Pius the Fifth, run by the Oblate nuns
- Mary C. Curtis recounts how books influenced her as a child
- Mary C. Curtis describes her impressions of her family's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement
- Mary C. Curtis shares her love of the Arts and how the Arts have shaped her life and career
- Mary C. Curtis talks about Seton High School, an integrated Catholic high school in Baltimore, Maryland
- Mary C. Curtis discusses her experiences at Seton High School in Baltimore, Maryland
- Mary C. Curtis remembers attending her fortieth high school class reunion
- Mary C. Curtis shares her memories attending Fordham University in New York City
- Mary C. Curtis recalls meeting her husband at Fordham University
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her favorite professors and guest speakers at Fordham University
- Mary C. Curtis reflects on her family's upward mobility
- Mary C. Curtis discusses the journalists she admired in the 1970s
- Mary C. Curtis describes working with the Associated Press after graduation from Fordham University, New York
- Mary C. Curtis describes how she was treated as a young black female reporter in the 1970s
- Mary C. Curtis describes taking a break from journalism during the years of 1977-1981
- Mary C. Curtis recalls attending the Maynard Institute for Journalism Education in 1981
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her experience in Tucson, Arizona from 1981-1983
- Mary C. Curtis describes being a black female journalist in the 1980s
- Mary C. Curtis shares some memories of living and working in Tucson, Arizona
- Mary C. Curtis describes moving back to the East Coast and working at The Baltimore Sun in 1983
- Mary C. Curtis talks about joining the National Association of Black Journalists in 1984
- Mary C. Curtis talks about diversity and the benefits of being involved with the National Association of Black Journalists
- Mary C. Curtis talks about the importance of diversity of views in news stories
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her work at the Baltimore Sun
- Mary C. Curtis describes her transition to the New York Times
- Mary C. Curtis describes moving to Charlotte, North Carolina to work for the Charlotte Observer
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her son, Zane, and the move to Charlotte, North Carolina from New York
- Mary C. Curtis describes the vibrancy of Charlotte, North Carolina
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her Neiman Foundation Fellowship at Harvard University in 2005, part 1
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her Neiman Foundation Fellowship at Harvard University in 2005, part 2
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her Neiman Foundation Fellowship at Harvard University in 2005, part 3
- Mary C. Curtis describes her return to Charlotte, North Carolina after her 2006 year at Harvard University
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her 2004 Thomas Wolfe award-winning article
- Mary C. Curtis talks about the aftermath of her Thomas-Wolfe award winning article in 2004
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her coverage of the 2007-2008 primary elections
- Mary C. Curtis recalls covering the 2008 elections and interviewing President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama
- Mary C. Curtis talks about being laid off at the Charlotte Observer in 2008 and her journalism work since then
- Mary C. Curtis talks about how she covers conservative news stories
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her journalistic philosophy
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her hopes and concerns for the African American community
- Mary C. Curtis talks about interviewing Franklin McCain of North Carolina
- Mary C. Curtis describes her different journalist affiliations
- Mary C. Curtis describes the arts events she covered
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her legacy
- Mary C. Curtis talks about her family and her son, Zane
- Mary C. Curtis talks about the future
- Mary C. Curtis talks about being on 'Jeopardy'
- Mary C. Curtis describes how she would like to be remembered
- Mary C. Curtis narrates her photographs