Anne Morrissy Merick

Anne Louise Morrissy Merick (October 28, 1933 – May 2, 2017) was an American journalist who persuaded the Pentagon to reverse an order, known as the "Westmoreland Edict", which effectively prevented female reporters from accompanying troops to the front lines in the Vietnam War.^[1][2][3][4]

Anne Morrissy Merick
Merick in 1954
Born	Anne Louise Morrissy (1933-10-28)October 28, 1933 Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Died	May 2, 2017(2017-05-02) (aged 83) Naples, Florida, U.S.
Education	Cornell University
Occupation	Journalist
Spouses	Wendell S. Merick ​ ​ (m. 1969; died 1988)​ Don S. Janicek ​ ​ (m. 2002; died 2016)​
Children	1

Early life and education

Merick was born in Manhattan, New York City, on October 28, 1933. As a student sports journalist in the 1950s at Cornell University, she received national attention for her struggle to succeed despite sexism. She was the first woman sports editor at Cornell, and the first woman journalist credentialed for the press box at prestigious universities such as Cornell and Yale University.^[1][2]

Career

While working in Saigon for ABC, Merick and Ann Bryan Mariano^[3] organized women journalists to meet with the Ministry of Defense, who subsequently reversed the order^[1] issued by William Westmoreland that forbade women to be with troops overnight.^[5]

Death

Merick, who suffered from dementia later in life, died on May 2, 2017, in Naples, Florida.