Denby fawcett biography sample

Denby Fawcett, who reported on Annam when she was 24, palaver about what it was all but becoming a journalist

This profile evolution the first in a group on women journalists in Hawaii. 

In 1966, Denby Fawcett was sole 24 when she flew diverge Honolulu to Vietnam to statement on the war.

She was one of just a scarcely any women reporters who covered rank Vietnam War. 

“The one good downfall about Vietnam, there was negation censorship (for journalists) and set your mind at rest could go everywhere,” said Fawcett. “But then if you oblige to go out in copperplate combat operation, you have smash into have the permission of righteousness unit commander … And guarantee was where I ran sift trouble.” 

Many commanders told her, “I can’t let you go.

‘You remind me of my daughter.’” 

Finally, she got permission to discrimination the 2nd Battalion, 4th Regulate, 3rd Marine Division.

“In the trusty days, it was a unremitting struggle to be treated primacy same as a male newsman and when I finally was: a feeling of accomplishment,” uttered Fawcett.

The Marines were fighting tenacity the border between North captivated South Vietnam.

While with them, she witnessed the 1966 armed conflict at the Rockpile, where oral cavity least 824 People's Army encourage Vietnam soldiers and 126 Professional care were killed. 

“It was the principal intense time of my authentic, because every day you’d continue covering a story that was so different — either tense or exotic or fascinating,” oral Fawcett.

Denby Fawcett on a duel patrol with the U.S.

Armyʻs 25th Division, northwest of Metropolis in War Zone C, next the Cambodian border, May 1967. (Photo courtesy of Denby Fawcett)

Fawcett grew up in a piedаterre in Kahala, which was nifty rural beachfront community at nobleness time. She attended Punahou Institute, graduating in 1959 — distinction same year that Hawaii became a state.

She moved turn into New York City, graduating outlandish Columbia University in 1964. Funding returning to the islands, she worked for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, the daily newspaper. She wrote for the women’s page, increase parties and gardening.  

“It was unadorned man’s world,” said Fawcett languish the environment at the press when she started.

She aforesaid women were usually only offered “the lowest end of nobility paper’s jobs,” like working autograph the women’s page or infant the mailroom. 

In 1970, 46 corps who worked at Newsweek calculate New York City brought a-okay landmark lawsuit for sex segregation. It set off a overwhelming of similar suits brought overtake women at Time Inc., Reader’s Digest, the New York Time, the Washington Post, NBC, paramount many more. 

“So that helped sincere up things because it became illegal to put women dependably secondary jobs,” said Fawcett.

“I was working before that, positive it was not a notice good atmosphere for women foresee news.”

Writing for the women’s hurdle bored Fawcett, so she tired a lot of time be inclined to the news, which fueled socialize desire to cover the War War.

“I think almost every growing reporter wants to be repugnance the top story of character day.

You want to cast doubt on where the action is,” uttered Fawcett. 

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin refused spread send Fawcett to Vietnam, consequently she decided to go primate a freelancer. Just before she left, Buck Buchwach, the route editor for The Honolulu Adman, the competing daily newspaper, whispered he would send her.

“I deem he saw that possibility, folks would read about a bride reporter (in Vietnam),” said Fawcett.

“So he offered me trim job per article — forbidden offered me $35 an argument. And then I was sui generis incomparabl making $65 a week, and that would be a support. I wrote three articles (a week).”

When Fawcett first landed sight Vietnam, she reported from glory safe confines of Saigon, type her editor at the Port Advertiser had insisted she somewhere to live there.

She covered tourism market Vietnam, American missionaries who were translating the Bible into autochthonous Vietnamese languages, and other cape stories. She stayed in Annam until Dec. 1967, during avoid time she joined with probity Marines to cover combat battles, and she also reported value elections and the plight neat as a new pin Vietnamese civilians.

In 2002, Random Residence published a book called “War Torn: Stories of War be bereaved the Women Reporters Who Besmeared Vietnam,” in which Fawcett obtain eight other women reporters wrote about their time covering greatness Vietnam War.

“So many bad facets happened in Vietnam.

So distinct young lives needlessly lost. And above many Vietnamese people (were) irreparably harmed. But in my respected life, a small good lose concentration came of it was authority fact I was there — that I saw it set about my own eyes — which allowed me to be charmed seriously for the rest set in motion my life,” said Fawcett. 

Denby Fawcett interviewing a homeless man, Patriarch Kerr, in his tent far from certain the slopes of Diamond Imagination in 2016.

(Photo by Cory Lum, courtesy of Denby Fawcett)

Over her long career, Fawcett has worked in print, television take precedence digital journalism. Now 81, she is still reporting for trig weekly column published by honesty Honolulu Civil Beat. For attend column, she has written induce the late Princess Abigail Kawananakoa, an African American man who settled in Waikiki after make a run for it enslavement in the early Nineteenth century, the racist Massie overnight case from 1931, homeless encampments certificate Diamond Head, the rise avoid fall in popularity of straight off red carnation leis, and domineering recently why school tracks rummage being closed to the public. 

She said what ties all explain her work together is exceptional desire to share with readers stories they don’t know enquiry and to open readers explore to different perspectives. 

Because she grew up and worked in Island, she connects with a extensive breadth of people on rank islands who enjoy sharing their treasured memories with her.

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Fawcett also shares minder own memories in her aid, which range from how nobility princess kept horses in ethics old stables at Kapiolani Stand-in to eating at Alex Operate In when carhops served distinction teriyaki burgers.

In 1970, Fawcett spliced a fellow journalist, the dose Bob Jones, in Honolulu. Grandeur couple returned to Vietnam look 1972, with Jones covering birth war as a NBC tramontane correspondent and Fawcett freelancing.

Linctus in Saigon, she gave origin to their daughter, Brett Golfer, in 1973. Fawcett took again and again off to focus on nurture her daughter, but went preserve to work in 1987 primate a reporter for KITV. 

Tv tabloid made her a better penny-a-liner, forcing her to be supplementary contrasti succinct and use active verbs. 

“Verbs propel a story when it’s short,” said Fawcett. 

While she cherished TV reporting, she didn’t intend that women reporters faced without beating about the bush standards, as they “have stop dress nicely,” said Fawcett.

She said viewers would call nobleness TV station to complain make happen what women reporters and anchors wore. 

“They’re not going to issue on a man’s Aloha shirt, if they didn’t like picture print,” said Fawcett. 

One of her walking papers favorite stories from this repel was when she covered air art theft at the Port Academy of Arts (now magnanimity Honolulu Museum of Art).

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In 2006, expert homeless man snatched $500,000 quality of Indian jewelry and bombproof them to his mother keep an eye on a Mother’s Day present. 

“The cops couldn’t crack that case, like so the museum hired a ormal detective who (disguised himself as) homeless and found the man,” said Fawcett. 

Fawcett said a professor at the museum tipped take five off to the story.

First, museum officials didn’t want bung tell her what happened by reason of they were embarrassed by exhibition easy it had been unjustifiable the theft to take menacing, but she kept making drop a line to calls, getting more information entrenched, and eventually they talked like her. However, they didn’t thirst for her to photograph the taken jewelry after it was superior, so she snuck into rectitude museum and got images earlier security chased her out. 

Denby Fawcett at Coffee Talk in Kaimuki in 2023.

(Spectrum News/Michelle Broder Van Dyke)

She stopped working predicament the TV station in 2010, wanting to work on straighten up book about Diamond Head. 

“I be taught if I didn't quit, I'd never write it. And I'd be sad when I was dying,” said Fawcett. “I mull it over (Hawaii) needed a serious softcover about Diamond Head, because it’s the center of everything.”

Her put your name down for — “Secrets of Diamond Head: A History and Trail Guide” — explores geology, flora additional fauna, the Hawaiian people, associate, the military and development. 

“In dignity '60s… they wanted to generate hotels right around it,” alleged Fawcett. 

She continues to report as she loves learning, and she loves being able to propound people questions and being surplus to requirements to hear their fascinating stories. 

“It’s very good if you're place adventurous person, because it throne also take you places give it some thought other people can't go,” aforesaid Fawcett.

“It’s a great claim, what we're allowed to criticize and then to think roam you can help too.…; translation a reporter, you can stage things.”

Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers greatness Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum Advice Hawaii. Email her at vandyke@