She was tireless. Determined. Inspirational. Intelligent. Kind. Strong.

She will be buried today, and she will be missed.

Pauline “Polly” Parker Ouimet was the first female manager in the Sun Journal newsroom, and a leader in Maine’s journalism community. Her lifetime achievements have earned her an entirely deserving spot in the Maine Press Association’s Hall of Fame. Her legacy lives in the talent she fostered in her correspondents and the information network she established in western Maine.

Polly was a combination tiger and kitten, fierce and lovable, and always on the move.

She started with the Lewiston Daily Sun as a substitute reporter on what was then called the State Department desk, responsible for covering news in western Maine. A decade later, she was promoted to regional news director, responsible for assigning news in that region, a vast area populated with readers eager for their daily news in the days before the Internet and 24-hour news cycles.

Polly was the first female manager at the Sun, a significant achievement she did not and would not trumpet. In her humble way, she was hired to do a job and set about doing it to the best of her considerable ability. It didn’t matter that she was a woman; it only mattered that she was the right person for that job.

We must acknowledge her achievement in entering a managerial role at a time when this country struggled with serious gender inequities.

In 1976, when Polly became the regional news director, it was just two years after a U.S. Supreme Court decision ruling that employers could not pay women lower wages than men simply because women had “traditionally” earned less. It was also only two years post-Equal Credit Opportunity Act, protecting women from discrimination in consumer credit practices and in applying for public assistance.

It wasn’t until 1978 that the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was passed, banning employers from firing a woman or denying her a job because she was or may become pregnant.

In this country, in 1976, women were fighting for equality and Polly was on the front line.

This diminutive woman was a feminist in the best sense of the word. She was a true believer that anyone could do anything they wanted and no one should be able to tell anyone otherwise. She lived that belief every day, passing it forward through her tremendous work ethic and devotion to her family.

Polly was a notable journalist who ignited a passion and commitment to cover local news in more than 100 correspondents, launching the professional careers of several journalists. Equally important, she was among the many women in the United States who helped open doors of tremendous opportunity for others who followed in her path.

She was a true journalist. A real feminist. A loyal friend.

This remarkable woman will be missed.