Occupation librarian Nationality American | Name Margaret Herrick | |
Died June 21, 1976(1976-06-21) (aged 73)Woodland Hills, California, USA | ||
Young chautauqua 2014 margaret herrick as matilda joslyn gage
Margaret Florence Herrick (September 27, 1902 – June 21, 1976), also known professionally as Margaret Gledhill, was the Executive Director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The academy's library in 1971 was named the Margaret Herrick Library in her honor.
Contents
- Young chautauqua 2014 margaret herrick as matilda joslyn gage
- A home for movie history the academy s margaret herrick library
- Early life
- Career
- Oscar moniker
- Personal life
- Works and publications
- References
A home for movie history the academy s margaret herrick library
Early life
She was born Margaret Buck in Spokane, Washington, to Nathan K. Buck, an attorney, and Adda M. Buck (née Morie).
In 1929, Herrick graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in library science.
Career
In 1929, Herrick became head librarian at the Yakima Public LIbrary in Yakima, Washington. She moved to Hollywood, California, with her husband and became the Academy's first librarian. She served in that capacity until 1943, during the war, when she became the interim executive director of the Academy, replacing her husband. In 1945, she was offered the Executive Director position permanently and held that position until her retirement in January 1971.
In the mid-1960s, Herrick went on international tours to promote the 10th anniversary of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Between 1963 and 1968 she visited many international film institutions.
The Academy's extensive library in Beverly Hills, California, of material on films is named in her honor.
Oscar moniker
Herrick is generally credited with naming the Academy Award an "Oscar", declaring the statuettes "looked just like my Uncle Oscar". However, others, including Academy President Bette Davis and Hollywood gossip columnist Sidney Skolsky, have claimed they invented the name.
Bette Davis said that the statue reminded her of her husband Harmon Nelson's derrière. Nelson's middle name was Oscar. Though Davis ended up revoking this honor.
Columnist Sidney Skolsky, who had a syndicated column called "Tinytypes" for over 50 years, referred to the nickname, "Oscar," in his March 16, 1934, column, which might have been the first time the award was called the Oscar in print.
Personal life
In 1931, Herrick married Donald Gledhill, an assistant to the executive secretary of the Academy. She and Gledhill divorced in 1945. She married Philip A. Herrick in 1946, and continued to use his name professionally following their divorce in 1951.
Herrick died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California, in 1976.
Works and publications
University training for motion picture work; assembled by Margaret Gledhill