Profiles in Success  Submit a Profile In-depth looks at life after J-School. Class Notes  Submit a Class Note Shorter updates and recent alumni photos. Sort by Decade Sort by Name/Emphasis Show All 2000-Present 1990-1999 1980-1989 1970-1979 1960-1969 1950-1959 1940-1949 1930-1939 1920-1929 Show All: List by Last Name Graduate Degree Magazine Newspaper Photojournalism Radio-Television Strategic Communication Sort by Decade More Alumni Resources 2000-Present 1990-1999 1980-1989 1970-1979 1960-1969 1950-1959 1940-1949 1930-1939 1920-1929 @mizzou For All We Call Mizzou Mizzou Alumni Association MizzouNet

Diane DeWall, BJ '51

Tell us about your career path.
In 1951, I started out in Minneapolis, Minn., doing advertising copy and layout for a retail store. Then I became one of the editors of The Key, a publication of Kappa Kappa Gamma Fraternity. Later my family moved from Minneapolis to Chicago and finally to Dayton, Ohio. After moving there, I started writing feature articles for the Dayton Daily News. In the late 1970s and 1980s I copy edited several history publications about the city of Dayton. I continued freelance writing in the 1990s, and am still editing today. I'm still working in journalism and perfecting my craft.

What was the best class you took at J-School and why?
I loved the Journalism School. It was a wonderful experience. At the time I was there, we practiced writing headlines while sitting at a huge U-shaped table. I had trouble writing headlines! I had to get a good grade in that class to get into Theta Sigma Phi, an honorary journalism society that every journalism woman wanted to get in to. I ended up not getting a good grade in that class, but Professor John M. Neal sent me a card that said, "I really regret this." He was just an outstanding journalist. Another one of my favorite memories was running for Journalism Queen, even though I did not win.

What is one of your favorite J-School memories?
I enjoyed all of the classes I took while at the Journalism school, and was thrilled to be a part of it. But, sometimes, it was tough. Learning how to work through difficulties, though, has been a great help in life. These experiences gave me confidence that I could work through whatever challenges come my way, and I've applied this confidence throughout my life in the myriad of the things that I've done.

Did becoming a mother affect your career?
I probably did more career-wise when I was a mother with younger children than I have done later in life. It's very busy, but you just do it. Somehow you are just able to balance your family, job, personal interests and everything else that is going on. If you are enthusiastic about your work and your kids, you just find time to do it all.

What is something people might not know about you?
I won an honorable mention from Writer's Digest for an article I wrote about High Altitude Sickness.

What is one of your proudest moments?
I am so proud of all three of our daughters. One of them continued on the family journalism tradition by receiving a master's degree in Broadcast Journalism.