Helen Valentine
| Helen Valentine | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Helen Rose Lachman 1893 Manhattan |
| Died | 1986 (aged 92–93) |
| Residence | Miami, Florida |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | magazine editor |
| Known for | founder of Seventeen |
| Spouse(s) | Herbert Valentine |
| Children |
Barbara Valentine Hertz Barry Valentine |
| Parent(s) |
Bertha Kahn Lachman Gustave Lachman |
| Family | Sam Kass (greatgrandson) |
Helen Valentine (1893-1986) was the founder and editor in chief of Seventeen and Charm magazines.[1]
Biography
Born Helen Rose Lachman in Manhattan,[2] she was the only child of German Jewish immigrants.[3][4] Her father Gustave was an accountant and her mother Bertha (née Kahn) was a homemaker.[3] Although she attended temple with her mother and went to Jewish Sunday school, her family also celebrated Christmas.[3] She graduated from the Ethical Culture School and Barnard College.[2] After school, she worked in the magazine industry.[5] In 1944, while serving as promotion director for Mademoiselle magazine at Walter Annenberg's Triangle Publications, she was asked by Annenberg to help revive a movie magazine.[2] Although the concept of "teenager" as a distinct demographic segment of the population was a relatively new idea at that time,[5] Valentine instead proposed a magazine for teen-age girls.[2] Noticing the wide popularity of a King Features Syndicate comic strip by cartoonist Hilda Terry that focused on the trials and tribulations of a typical teenager's life entitled Teena which began running in July 1944,[5] Valentine convinced Annenberg that teenage girls needed a magazine of their own and that the then unserved demographic had the potential to become an important and lucrative new consumer market segment[5] stating that "It was time to treat children as adults."[2] The magazine was launched in September 1944[5] and within a year, Seventeen had a circulation of a million.[2] Seventeen is credited with creating a teen market for clothing manufacturers and other industries.[2] In 1950, she accepted a job with Street & Smith to revamp a fading fashion magazine called Charm which she re-configured into the country's first magazine for working women[2] (Charm was eventually merged into Glamour magazine after being bought by Conde Nast Publications).[2] In 1958, she was hired by Good Housekeeping magazine to write a column, Young Wife's World where she remained until she retired in 1963.[2]
Personal life
Valentine was married to banker Herbert Valentine (died 1978).[2][6] She had two children: Barbara Valentine Hertz and Barry Valentine.[2][7] Her granddaughter, Valentine Hertz Kass[3] was one of the first women Producer/Directors at KQED in San Francisco, the first Director of the Navy Pier IMAX Theater, and the Founding Director of the American Children’s Television Festival.[8][9] Her great-grandson, Sam Kass, served as Barack Obama's Senior Policy Advisor For Nutrition Policy.[10]
References
- ↑ Sun Sentinel: "Helen Valentine, Former Editor" November 16, 1986
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 New York Times: "HELEN VALENTINE, 93; FOUNDED SEVENTEEN, EDITOR OF MAGAZINES" By THOMAS W. ENNIS November 15, 1986
- 1 2 3 4 Massoni, Kelley Bringing Up "baby": The Birth and Early Development of "Seventeen" Magazine 2007
- ↑ Women's Studies Librarian's Office: "ARCHIVAL RESOURCES ON THE HISTORY OF JEWISH WOMEN IN AMERICA" retrieved July 6, 2014
- 1 2 3 4 5 Massoni, Kelley (March 2006). "'Teena Goes to Market': Seventeen Magazine and the Early Construction of the Teen Girl (As) Consumer" (PDF). The Journal of American Culture. 29, Number 1 (Theme Issue).
- ↑ New York Times: "Miss Lachman Marries H. Valentine at Home Instead of at St. Regis" February 06, 1920
- ↑ New York Times: "DAVID HERTZ Obituary" July 6, 2014
- ↑ 8th World Conference of Science Jornalists: "Valentine Kass, Program Director Informal Science Education program, National Science Foundation, US - So you want to do science documentaries? Tips and tricks for journalists willing to tell their story in film" June 24, 2013
- ↑ Friends Seminary: "Valentine Hertz Kass ’64" retrieved July 7, 2014
- ↑ Chicago Sun Times: "Sam Kass, White House chef; exclusive interview" by Lynn Sweet November 8, 2009