First Female Trustee: Avis Tucker (1915-2010)

Avis Tucker was born in 1915 in Kansas. She married her husband William Tucker in 1941. Together they purchased the Daily Star-Journal in 1947. After his death in 1966, Avis took ownership of their newspaper and kept it in the family for 60 years. She became one of the first female publishers in the state of Missouri.

Mrs. Tucker made history in many ways during her lifetime. She forged a path for women in publishing with her accolades: first female president of the Missouri Associated Dailies (1973), received the Missouri School of Journalism’s Honor Medal (1976), first female president the Missouri Press Association (1982), winner of the National Newspaper Association’s McKinney Award (1982), and became the first woman inducted into the Missouri Newspaper Hall of Fame (1992).

Avis became an acting trustee for Westminster College in 1980 and then became a Lifetime Trustee in 1996. She is remembered as a sharp business woman with the ability to do anything she put her mind to. In her lifetime, Avis was also a private supporter of many charities, especially those related to child welfare.

Avis Green Tucker passed away on December 17, 2010 after a lifetime of exemplary service and pioneering leadership. Her contributions shaped Westminster’s future and her legacy lives on.