Jane Dwyre Garton, a distinguished Wisconsin journalist, educator and philanthropist, died on Nov. 24 in Appleton. She was 77.
Born Aug. 26, 1946, in Sheboygan, she was the daughter of George Leo Dwyre and Mary Veronica O’Brien Dwyre. She attended North High School, where she worked on the student newspaper, the Urbanite, before going on to earn a journalism degree from the University of Dayton in 1968.
Garton’s early work included serving as a sports information officer at Lawrence University in the 1970s, where she championed female athletes’ rights under Title IX. She continued to break gender barriers through her pioneering career in the newspaper business, where she often faced challenges as one of the only women in the newsroom. During her time at the (Appleton) Post-Crescent, she excelled as a beat reporter and editor, covering mental health, government, agriculture and women in sports.
Garton went on to earn a master’s degree in journalism from Indiana University, where her thesis focused on the work of young journalists and their important and unique contributions. She then turned to teaching journalism at UW-Oshkosh and UW-Fox Valley.
A celebration of life will be held at 10 a.m. Dec. 22 at Lawrence University’s Warch Center. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation or the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region in her memory.
