Aline Hazard
Aline Watson Hazard (1895-1981) was a broadcasting pioneer whose 32-year career as the voice of Homemakers’ Program included hosting more than 10,000 episodes on all aspects of home economics. The show debuted on WHA Radio in Madison in 1929; Hazard signed on in 1933 and quickly became its driving force. Her mix of programming entertained and informed audiences, and she drew an appreciative following. She conducted some of the state’s earliest remote broadcasts, aired many stories about women supporting the war effort during World War II, and was instrumental in bringing University of Wisconsin educational resources into the homes of listeners throughout Wisconsin and neighboring states.
An Iowa native, Hazard earned a bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College in 1918. After teaching high school for three years, she traveled abroad to live in Peking, China. Then, in 1932, she took a joint appointment with the UW departments of radio education and agricultural journalism in Madison. She earned a degree in home economics at the UW in 1940 and directed the award-winning Homemakers’ Program until her retirement in 1965. She published an autobiography, For the Love of Mike, in 1970.
I am delighted Aline Hazard has been inducted into the WI Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame. I was privileged to have a signed copy of her book, “For the Love of Mike”. It is a fabulous time capsule of life in WI at the time.
Aline was ahead of her time as a career woman. I’m so glad her time for recognition has come.