Inducted 2002
fashion writer, The Detroit News
Charlotte Stone
From haute couture and royal weddings to hometown people and local events, Tavy Stone covered fashion and lifestyle for The Detroit News with a zeal that few possess.
For 25 years as a freelancer and then as fashion writer for The Detroit News, Stone covered Detroit society, mentored young journalists and promoted civic projects. She did it all with style and personality. Stone graduated from the University of Chicago at 18 with a degree in psychology and journalism as part of a special scholarship program. Her journalism career started in 1960 with freelance work for the Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News. In 1975, during the midst of the long-running Detroit newspaper war, The Detroit News hired her full-time. “During the height of the newspaper war in Detroit, fashion writing was viewed by The Detroit News as a major battlefront,” said Ben Burns, who helped hire her. “But Tavy was much more than a fashion writer. She was a lifestyles writer, who could translate her enthusiasm for life and the world into award-winning copy.”
Freelance writer Molly Abraham wrote, “Her copy was like her-one of a kind. It never sounded tired or trite because she imbued it with the kind of energy she herself had.”
Stone’s trademarks were her work ethic and her brilliant prose. Those who worked with her marveled at the long hours she poured into her work. But she always had time to help and encourage other journalists such as Molly Abraham, Linda Solomon and Bob Talbert.
Her journalism and community activities led to a variety of awards. She received City of Detroit Citizens Awards from mayors Jerry Cavanaugh and Coleman A. Young. Today, the Tavy Stone Fashion Library is housed in the Detroit Historical Museum.
Stone passed away in 1985, and with her death came the end of the great fashion-reporting era in Detroit.