Milly Wohler, '43, died in August after a five-year battle with lung cancer. She was 79.

Wohler retired as travel editor at The Oregonian in 1995 after four decades as a journalist. She is remembered for her daunting stature--she was six feet tall--and her trailblazing in the newspaper industry, where she was one of the first women to reach executive rank. She reported on battered women when the issue was considered taboo, and she covered the women's movement long before her colleagues took notice of it.

"She understood the crosscurrents of the times and helped make sure newspaper coverage reflected the richness and complexity of women's lives," says Sandy Rowe, editor of The Oregonian. "I remember Milly as the grande dame of The Oregonian--gracious, wise, witty and a wonderful influence on those around her."

Fred A. Stickel, publisher of The Oregonian, says, "She was not only a wonderful person, she was a very fine newspaper person in addition. She was a pleasure to work with and a pleasure to be around, and I will miss her."

Wohler graduated from the J-School in 1943, and married her classmate Ben Wohler in 1945. She is survived by her husband, two sons, Jeff and John, and two grandchildren.