LIKE THE REPORTERS THAT WERE FEATURED IN THAT SEGMENT, LONGTIME JOURNALIST ISABELLE DELORES "DEE WEDEMEYER ALSO COMMITTED HER CAREER TO STATE POLITICS.

THE LCA DIDN'T ALLOW WOMEN TO BE INCLUDED IN THE ORGANIZATION WHEN IT WAS FIRST CREATED.

BUT WHEN IT FINALLY DID, WEDEMEYER BECAME ONE OF FIRST WOMEN TO BE ADMITTED IN 1967.

WE SPOKE WITH THE TRAILBLAZER ABOUT HER CAREER AND LEGACY.

HERE'S THAT INTERVIEW.

[ THEME MUSIC ] I CAN TAKE POINTS THIS MY LIFE AND SAY THAT A NEWSPAPER HEADLINE WAS INVOLVED WITH IT.

NEWSPAPERS WERE IMPORTANT, IMPORTANT THINGS APPEARED THERE AND PEOPLE READ THEM AND I READ THEM.

I LOVED LEARNING.

I LOVE READING AND I LOVE WRITING.

[ SLOW MUSIC ] WHEN I GRADUATED FROM GEORGE WASHINGTON, I WAS PLANNING TO TRY TO GET A NEWSPAPER JOB IN THE SOUTH AND GO BACK.

I WANTED TO BECOME A REPORTER AND THE-- OF COURSE, YOU CAN'T START OUT AS A REPORTER NECESSARILY AT A PAPER LIKE "THE WASHINGTON POST".

I ASKED A REPORTER THERE WHAT I SHOULD DO AND SO THIS REPORTER SAID, GO TO A CAPITAL CITY WHERE THERE ARE TWO NEWSPAPERS COMPETING FOR STORIES.

I WENT DOWN TO THE NEWSPAPER ON A SUNDAY NIGHT AND I GOT EDITOR AND PUBLISHER OUT AND SURE ENOUGH, THERE WAS AN AD FOR "THE KNICKERBOCKER NEWS" IN ALBANY, AND APPLIED AND I GOT THE JOB.

I STARTED AT "THE KNICKERBOCKER NEWS" IN 1966.

YOU WERE ASSIGNED STORIES AND I REMEMBER HEARING THAT ONE OF THE WOMEN WAS BEING SENT TO THE COHOES TOWN MEETING.

I THOUGHT, WELL, SHE ALREADY HAS EXPERIENCE REPORTING.

WHAT WILL I BE ASSIGNED TO?

SO I IMMEDIATELY ASKED, POINTED OUT THAT I WAS GOING TO BE IN THE SOUTH IN THE NEXT MONTH IN ALABAMA, AND THAT COULD I TRY TO GET AN INTERVIEW WITH GEORGE WALLACE?

AND THEY SAID YES.

I THINK THAT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MY DOING THAT STORY WAS THAT WHEN POLITICIANS WERE COMING THROUGH TOWN, LIKE SENATOR KENNEDY, I WAS LIKELY ASSIGNED TO THEM.

[ SLOW MUSIC ] IT GETS TO BE ABOUT DECEMBER, I REMEMBER I WAS SITTING IN THE NEWSROOM THINKING, HOW COULD I GET MR. FITCHENBERG LET ME GO TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE?

I WALKED UP AND SAID, HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO TO THE STATE LEGISLATURE?

SO I WAS ASSIGNED TO BE THE CORRESPONDENT OVER THERE AND REPORTED TO WORK.

I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE LCA AND I DIDN'T KNOW THAT I WOULD BECOME THE FIRST WOMAN TO BE ELECTED, AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHEN I WAS UNDER CONSIDERATION FOR BECOMING A MEMBER, AND I JUST KNOW THAT I WENT OVER THERE AND I GOT TO WORK.

STARTING OUT, I WAS INTERESTED IN THE SUBJECTS THAT I WAS REPORTING ON AND I THINK YOU FEEL RESPONSIBILITY IMMEDIATELY.

THIS JOB IS ONE IN WHICH YOU CHECK FACTS AND CHECK FACTS.

THERE'S A STANDARD THAT I WAS TOLD OF THAT IF YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING QUITE CONTROVERSIAL, YOU MUST HAVE AT LEAST TWO SOURCES.

I WOULD INSIST UPON A LOT MORE.

I WOULD REALLY WANT TO BE SURE THAT I SAW IT FROM EVERY STANDPOINT AND I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS EDITING OTHER REPORTERS THAT SOMEONE ONCE BROUGHT ME THE STORY, AND AS THEY RETURNED THE STORY AND LEFT, THEY SAID, OH, WELL, THE ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ARE GOING TO BE REALLY ANNOYED ABOUT THIS.

I SAID, WELL, CALL THEM UP RIGHT NOW AND FIND OUT AND GET THAT INTO THE STORY.

I THINK THAT'S THE KIND OF THING THAT YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT.

IT WAS A TIME WHEN ONE GENERATION WAS TURNING ON AND DROPPING OUT AND THERE WAS A PROTEST FOR THE VIETNAM WAR.

THERE WAS CERTAINLY A BIG MOVEMENT AGAINST RACISM AND THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT AND THERE ALSO WAS A COMING OF AGE OF PEOPLE WHO WERE UNDER 21.

THERE WAS AN EFFORT TO GETTING VOTING FOR 18-YEAR-OLDS BECAUSE THEY IF THEY COULD GO OFF TO WAR, THEY OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO VOTE.

SO ALL OF THESE ISSUES WERE COMING UP.

THE ENVIRONMENT WAS BECOMING AN ISSUE.

SO THE LEGISLATURE WAS REALLY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF HOW THEY WERE GOING TO REACT TO THOSE THINGS AND HOW THEY WERE GOING TO ACT ON THEM.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I AM PROUD OF ABOUT THIS IS THAT THE NEXT YEAR AFTER I LEFT ALBANY, UPI AND GANNETT SENT WOMEN TO COVER THE STATE LEGISLATURE.

[ SLOW MUSIC CONTINUES ] JUST GRATEFUL THAT I HAD THAT EXPERIENCE.

I WANTED TO BE A REPORTER AND I WORKED AT IT AND I WROTE STORIES AND I LOVED WHAT I WAS DOING.

I LOVED WORKING.

YOU KNOW, THE YEARS AT THE POST, I REMEMBER HATING FOR IT TO BE SATURDAY BECAUSE I COULDN'T GO TO WORK.

THERE'S ALWAYS ANOTHER STORY TO DO, SOMETHING TO LEARN AND I SEE THEM ALL THE TIME NOW.

EVEN NOW WHEN I'M NOT WORKING AS A JOURNALIST EVERY DAY AND SOMETIMES I CALL REPORTERS AND TELL THEM SOMETHING.

[ THEME MUSIC ] FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE WORK, LEGACY AND CAREER OF DEE WEDEMEYER, YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE.

THAT'S AT NYNOW.ORG.