Maxine Mesinger

Maxine Mesinger, née Maxine Ethel David (December 19, 1925 - January 19, 2001[1]) was a celebrity gossip columnist of the Houston Chronicle who was active between 1965 and 2000. Her works were published in the "Big City Beat," her social column. She had the nickname "Miss Moonlight".[2] Clifford Pugh of the Houston Chronicle said that she "wrote about big names for half of the 20th century and became a celebrity in her own right".[1] Lisa Gray of the Houston Press said that Mesinger "wrote in the swingin' lingo of '40s showbiz".[3]

She was born in 1925 to Julian "Drake" David and Ella David. She graduated from San Jacinto High School. She took post-secondary education at Texas Woman's University, Indiana University Bloomington, and the University of Houston. In 1944 she married Emil Mesinger. They had two children, Julianne and Jay. Mesinger had a career in television.[2] In the 1950s she hosted two celebrity oriented shows on a television network operated by the University of Houston.[1] In 1964 the Houston Chronicle hired her to be a columnist.[2] For a period she and her family lived at the Shamrock Hotel. She had two children, Jay and Julianne. Her collection of antiques, fine art, mementos, and photographs of Hollywood actors and actresses from the second half of the 20th century was called the "Maxine Mesinger Memorial Museum" by her family.[4]

Death

Mesinger was afflicted by multiple sclerosis.[1] On Friday January 19, 2001, at The Methodist Hospital, Mesinger died from complications of multiple sclerosis,[5] at the age 75.[1] On September 9, 2003, the Maxine Mesinger Multiple Sclerosis Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital opened.[6]

After her death, her collection of art, mementos, and photographs remained intact. Her husband, Emil, continued living in their house near River Oaks. Emil and his children, now adults, did not figure out the best method to dispose of Mesinger's collection. In June 2013 Emil died and the two children established an auction of the collection to be held on October 26, 2013 at Morton Auctioneers and Appraisers.[4] The Auctioneer for the Mesigner Estate Auction was Houston auctioneer and Vice-President of Morton's Auctioneers and Appraisers, Colette Clift Mayers.[7] The Mesinger Sclerosis Clinic was scheduled to receive a portion of the proceeds.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Pugh, Clifford. "Long-time, well-known society columnist dies" at the Wayback Machine (archived February 15, 2001) (Archive). Houston Chronicle at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Friday January 19, 2011. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 "Maxine Mesinger Papers, 1965-2001." University of Houston. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
  3. ↑ Gray, Lisa. "Goodnight, Miss Moonlight." Houston Press. Thursday February 1, 2001. 1. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Feldman, Claudia. "Auction set for Chron columnist Mesinger's mementoes" (Archive). Houston Chronicle. October 8, 2013. Retrieved on October 9, 2013. "In the midst of those glory days, the Mesinger family lived at the old Shamrock Hilton Hotel,[...]"
  5. ↑ "Maxine Mesinger Houston Chronicle 1925-2001" at the Wayback Machine (archived April 5, 2001) (Archive). Houston Chronicle. April 5, 2001. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Maxine Mesinger Multiple Sclerosis Clinic." The Methodist Hospital. Retrieved on November 20, 2011.
  7. ↑ Feldman, Claudia. "Mesinger treasures sold to the highest bidders" (Archive). Houston Chronicle. October 26, 2013. Retrieved on May 5, 2015.

External links

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