Joelyn Littauer Scott Gilchrist Fiorato; first woman film critic for the NY Times
Hyfler/Rosner
February 4, 2007 Sunday
Late Edition - Final
Paid Notice: Deaths FIORATO, JOELYN LITTAUER SCOTT GILCHRIST
FIORATO--Joelyn Littauer Scott Gilchrist, the first woman
film critic for the New York Times, writer, best selling
cookbook author and newspaper columnist of Southport, CT,
and Martha's Vineyard, MA, formerly of New York City and
East Hampton, NY, lost her battle with cancer on January 25.
At the time of her passing, she was surrounded by her
children and grandchildren at the Kaplan Memorial Hospice of
Danvers, MA. In addition to her husband, New York City
Ballet's Conductor Emeritus, Maestro Hugo Fiorato, Joelyn is
survived by her sons S. Christopher Scott, Director of the
Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust and his wife Pamela,
her son Jonathan Scott of Boston, MA, and his partner
Michael McGuill, her daughter Stephanie Gilchrist Hunt of
Stowe, VT, her husband Harry Hunt, and Joelyn's four
grandchildren, Victoria, Luis, Alaena and Tucker. A service
celebrating Joelyn's life will be held Friday February 9,
2007 at 11:00 am Trinity Episcopal Church in Southport, CT,
followed by a reception at the Fairfield County Hunt Club of
Westport, CT. In lieu of flowers, contributions maybe sent
in honor of Joelyn's Family Home to: Victory Programs, 965
Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02118.
http://www.mvgazette.com/features/obituaries/?name=joelyn_scott_fiorato&edition_date=2007/02/02
Joelyn Scott Fiorato, Was Writer, Critic, Volunteer
Joelyn Scott Fiorato, the first woman film critic for the
New York Times, writer, best-selling cookbook author and
newspaper columnist, of Southport, Conn., and Lambert's
Cove, formerly of New York city and East Hampton, N.Y., lost
her battle with cancer on Jan. 25.
At the time of her death, she was surrounded by her
children and grandchildren at the Kaplan Memorial Hospice in
Danvers. Joelyn's age was considered a state secret;
however, she lived to see more than 1,000 full moons.
Mrs. Fiorato was the daughter of Dr. E. Victor and Marie
Littauer of New York city. She matriculated at Barnard
College as an English major, with music as her minor. This
was a fortunate bit of unintentional forethought, akin to a
small miracle. Thirty years ago, music became an integral
part of her life, when she married New York City Ballet's
principal conductor, now conductor emeritus, maestro Hugo
Fiorato.
Joelyn wrote under a myriad of last names. Whatever, they
were all preceded by her cognomen, Joelyn. Early on, under
the direction of Bosley Crowther, she was on the staff of
the New York Times movie department as a critic, and as
writer of Sunday Arts Sections interviews. She attained her
first goal early on, a byline which she retained throughout
her career. "Way back when, before the Red Sea parted - for
the first time," she said.
Her first movie review was The Frozen Ghost. Working as the
only woman in an all-male movie department, she said, "The
Times is where I learned to write, to drink, to smoke and to
say no."
After leaving the Times to marry her first husband, Samuel
Pogue, of Cincinnati, Ohio, she moderated a popular weekly,
hour-long panel radio show for the Cincinnati Symphony
Orchestra, Symphomation Please, and Meet the Artist, a
weekly, musical celebrity interview show.
Throughout her life, in whichever city, fate and/or marriage
chanced to land her, she also performed heavy stints of
volunteer publicity work for any charity in need of her
service.
She wrote two best-selling cookbooks that stayed in print
for 25 years, in collaboration with Ohio friend Jacqueline
Wood. Her books contained sincere, humorous and
graphics-filled basic cookery lessons masquerading as simple
nutritious fare.
They garnered fine reviews and rapidly became mainstays of
collegiate and graduate students, for whose delectation and
erudition they were originally written. Aptly titled The
Campus Survival Cook Book #1 and #2, the two perfect
graduation books were published by William Morrow Inc. in
1973 and 1982 respectively, but are still in demand and
pertinent to today's needs.
For the past ten years, Mrs. Fiorato produced a monthly
humor and food column in Connecticut's Brooks Newspaper's
insert, Inside Fairfield County, where she expounded on any
theme which tickled her creative juices. Some examples
include The Epiphany of the Waffle Iron, Omelets and
Diapers, Baggy Knees, Fashion's Screed, C. Elegans
(earthworms), Five Hundred Elk in a Rut, The Wonders of
Edamame, Losing Weight in a Hammock and Morton Bay Bugs
(crabs). Now and then, a rare restaurant, movie or classical
music review also appeared, sometimes a review of a book
that she really loved, like her friend Ian Falconer's recent
best-seller Olivia. All of her columns and reviews can be
found at joelyn.com.
A watercolorist, Joelyn recently made her first sale, a
delightful painting of a sprig of birthday flowers, a
six-month blooming purple orchid branch. She felt this would
bode well for her next career.
All the rest of her time was spent learning new technology
and working hard to raise money for her son Jonathan Scott's
Boston substance-abuse treatment agency, Victory Programs
Inc., which will be dedicating a new facility for homeless
mothers and their children in her name, Joelyn's Family
Home.
In addition to her husband, Maestro Hugo Fiorato, Joelyn is
survived by her son Christopher Scott of Edgartown, the
director of the Martha's Vineyard Preservation Trust, and
his wife Pamela, son Jonathan Scott of Boston and his
partner Michael McGuill, her daughter Stephanie Gilchrist
Hunt of Stowe, Vt., a professional fundraiser for
environmental nonprofit organizations including the Colorado
Rocky Mountain Institute; her husband Harry Hunt, and four
grandchildren, Victoria, Luis, Alaena and Tucker.
Joelyn felt serenely secure that her progeny were saving
humanity, preserving history through architecture and
keeping the earth fit. The rest of us, she said, can just
relax, composting and recycling diligently.
A memorial service in celebration of her life will be held
on Friday, Feb. 9 at 11 a.m. at Trinity Church in Southport,
Conn.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be sent in honor of
Joelyn's Family Home, to Victory Programs Inc., 965
Massachusetts avenue, Boston, MA, 02118 or to the Martha's
Vineyard Preservation Trust, P.O. Box 5277, Edgartown, MA
02539.