Diederich College of Communication Award Recipients

by-line AWARD

Elizabeth A. Allen, Jour '73

Erie, Pa.

A longtime columnist, reporter and editor for her hometown newspaper, the Erie Times-News, Elizabeth thrived in a career where she could balance her devotion to her family with her dedication to crafting stories.

Though Elizabeth retired full time from the Erie Times-News, where she wrote editorials and supervised the opinion page, she still contributes her Sunday column and writes other freelance stories. “The end tag for my column in the Erie Times-News and on GoErie.com says that I write about ‘ordinary people,’” she says. “But truly, they are extraordinary.”

Outside of her work as a journalist, Elizabeth volunteers once a week at the Booker T. Washington Center to work with teens being mentored through Mothers Against Teen Violence. She is also currently editing two memoirs and will be teaching a memoir-writing class to female veterans.

“I often run into people who tell me that I make a difference by the stories I write about people with good hearts and high hopes,” she shares. “Words and actions can build community, and that’s something I learned at Marquette.”

Fun Fact:
Marquette is where I met the loves of my life — my husband, Pat Locco, Bus Ad ’72, who died in 1994, and Eric Compton, Jour ’72. Eric and I had dated in college, stayed in touch for decades through our circle of J-school friends, and married in 2007, 37 years after our first date. I guess it’s a legacy to marry two great guys from my alma mater.