Stella Foster | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 6 |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Calumet High School |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, columnist and secretary |
| Years active | 1969-2012 (43 years) |
| Employer | Chicago Sun-Times |
| Known for | Stella's Column (Chicago Sun-Times) |
Stella Foster is an African-American journalist for the Chicago Sun-Times who was first an assistant for the newspaper entertainment columnist, Irv Kupcinet, before establishing her own columns with Sister 2 Sister magazine and later for her employer.
Stella Foster is from Chicago, Illinois, and she grew up in the Englewood Community.[1] Her parents Peter James and Mamie Lee Foster were storekeepers. Stella's sister is Jamie Foster Brown, publisher and owner of Sister 2 Sister magazine.[2] She attended Calumet High School.[3]
Over the course of her 43-year career as a Chicago journalist, Foster was an assistant to Irv Kupcinet and a Chicago Sun-Times columnist and broadcaster.[4] Stella Foster's career started when her sister brought to her attention that Kupcinet, the Chicago Sun-Times columnist, was in need of a secretary. She began working for him on September 1, 1969 and was his assistant for decades.[5] Kupcinet taught her the basics of good journalism, and she said his integrity and personality contributed to their getting "scoops" through a hot line where people could call in news.[2][3] As Kupcinet aged, Foster collaborated with him and she later received a byline under the Kupcinet column.[2] She began her writing career in the mid-1980s with a regular column, "Starlights by Stella", that appeared in Sister 2 Sister magazine; started her own column, "Stella's Column", for the Chicago Sun-Times on December 2, 2003 and after the death of Kupcinet, and retired on her birthday August 6, 2012.[5][6][7] During her career, she also had a regular television segment on FOX News called "Stella Sez."[8] The column for the Chicago Sun-Times ran two times a week and was later increased to five times a week.[9] Her employer did not name a successor.[10]
Interviewed on CNN defending the Obama kids about letting them speak out for the first time.[11]
In the 1990s, Foster had contributed some editorials to the Chicago Sun-Times, such as her 1992 opinion piece "Killing By Blacks Must Stop," about urban black violence that was motivated by the shooting of her nephew, who survived the incident.[3][5] She later continued this opinion format and called them "Stellatorials."[6]
Stella Foster has won numerous awards, including the Irv Kupcinet Media Giant Award, named after her mentor:[6]