CONSTANCE LAWYER HUSTACE / 1922-2008
Postwar reporter’s heart was close to news
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Working at the Honolulu Star-Bulletin was part of an adventure in journalism that Constance Lawyer Hustace never forgot.
After World War II ended in 1945, Hustace and a Stanford University classmate drove across the country from California to work as copy girls on the former Washington Evening Star in Washington, D.C. She moved to Hawaii in 1947 to work as a Star-Bulletin reporter.
Clippings of the stories she wrote, many about Honolulu society events, were still among her keepsakes 60 years later, said her son, Frank Hustace III. A lifelong newspaper fan, she enjoyed analyzing the news with reporter friends.
Connie Hustace, 86, died Saturday at home.
The postwar period was a time when there was a "rash of women joining the newsroom," which was formerly a man's world, said former Star-Bulletin reporter Dee Smyser.
Hustace met her husband, Frank, a Honolulu attorney, at a Honolulu Press Club event. They marked their 60th anniversary on Jan. 22. Frank Hustace Jr., 93, died March 26.
She was a member of Art Ala Carte, a cooperative art gallery at Ward Centre, active with the Hawaii Watercolor Society and served as a volunteer with several local organizations.
She was born in Los Angeles.
She is survived by son Frank W. III, daughter Patricia K., brother Jay Lawyer and four granddaughters.
Private services will be held at Oahu Cemetery. Ultimate Cremation Services handled arrangements.
The family suggests that donations be made to the Hawaii Watercolor Society, 1159 Nuuanu Ave., Honolulu 96817; or Honolulu Academy of Arts, 900 S. Beretania St., Honolulu 96814.