Individual Honors

In Memory of Lola Zook

Sadly, STC Exemplar and Fellow Lola Zook (1909-1999) passed away peacefully on Friday, July 30, 1999. Although Lola had not been in the best of health, it was still unexpected. From reports, it appears that Lola simply went to sleep in her favorite chair surrounded by papers, STC and others, through which she was sorting.

William C. Stolgitis, STC Executive Director

Lola Moeller Zook, 89, worked for 22 years at the Human Resources Research Organization, which does personnel studies. Lola retired in 1975 as editorial and production center director at HumRRO. She had lived 5 years in Japan from 1947 to 1952 accompanying her husband to his Red Cross post. While there, she worked as a technical editor for the Allied occupation forces and received the Army's Meritorious Civilian Service Award for her work on a 2-volume book on natural resources. Lola graduated from the School of Journalism at the University of Iowa in 1930 and belonged to Phi Beta Kappa, Theta Sigma Phi, Delta Zeta, and Mortar Board.

In 1952, the Zooks moved to Washington, D.C. Perusing the classified ads in the newspaper, Lola Zook found a position for a technical writer and editor listed under the heading "male help wanted." Ignoring the obvious gender bias, she applied for the job and became managing editor and chief of the editorial and production office for the Human Resources Research Organization (HumRRO), a newly formed research firm with contracts to do research for the United States Army. Zook worked at HumRRO from 1952 until 1999, semi-retiring in 1976 but continuing as a publications consultant and editor. Zook also worked for other research firms, and for Editorial Experts (now EEI Communications) during the first dozen years of their existence.

excerpt from the full biography about Lola at the University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa Women's Archives http://aspace.lib.uiowa.edu/search?q[]=Lola+Zook&op[]=&field[]=keyword&from_year[]=&to_year[]=&page=1

Lola's papers were donated to the University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa Women's Archives. Lola is classified as a newspaper editor whose papers relate to her career as a journalist and the years she spent in occupied Japan following World War II. The papers date from 1909 to 2004 and measure 8.75 linear feet. The papers are arranged in ten series: Biography, Correspondence, Journalism, Occupied Japan, Human Resources Research Organization, Society for Technical Communication, Women's Clubs, Scrapbooks, Photographs, and Artifacts

In 1956, Lola joined the Association of Technical Writers and Editors (now the Society for Technical Communication – STC). Lola served STC for many years, producing numerous articles and publications. She presented papers at STC conferences, wrote for the Technical Communication journal, and was editor of the first STC anthology on technical editing, published in 1975. She also served on the Society's Scholarship Committee for many years.

The Washington, DC chapter is very proud that Lola was honored in the first group of STC Exemplars in 1999. See the article "Interviews with STC Exemplars" by Katherine Staples, TechnicalCOMMUNICATION, Third Quarter 1999, page 391.  New

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