Winship, Elizabeth C.

Columnist Elizabeth Coolidge Winship attended Vassar (1939-41) and Radcliffe (B.S. 1943) colleges. She was a book reviewer (1952-1960) and children's book editor (1960- ) for the Boston Globe before beginning an advice column for adolescents entitled "Ask Beth" (1963- ).

Elizabeth Coolidge Winship was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on May 17, 1921, to Albert Sprague and Margaret Stewart (Coit) Coolidge; she grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Known to her friends as "Liebe," she attended Vassar College (1939-1941), transferring to Radcliffe College, from which she graduated with a B.S. in psychology in 1943. She met her husband, Thomas Winship (1921-2002), when she was a junior at Radcliffe and he was a senior at Harvard. After graduation she pursued her interest in psychology through her own research and soon began raising a family of four children -- Margaret (Peg), Laurence, Joanna, and Benjamin. In 1952 Elizabeth was hired by the Boston Globe as a book reviewer, and from 1960 through 1963 worked as a children's book editor for the newspaper. Her husband Thomas was the editor of the Boston Globe from 1965 until his retirement in 1984.

Beginning in 1963, Winship wrote an advice column for teenagers, Ask Beth, after it was suggested to her by an editor at the Globe . She soon found success, due mainly to her sensible and thoughtful approach to teen questions, and partly from the lack of other advice outlets for teens on sex and relationships, particularly during the early years of her column. In 1970 the Los Angeles Times Syndicate picked up Ask Beth, which at its peak had 70 subscribing newspapers. Starting in the 1980s she was assisted in writing responses for the column by her daughter Peg Winship, who signed on as co-author in 1993. A family therapist, Peg continued the column on her own from her mother's retirement in 1998 until February 27, 2007.

In addition to her column, Winship tackled various health and sexuality issues in numerous publications. She authored or contributed to: Ask Beth: You Can’t Ask Your Mother (1972), Ask Beth: Questions and Answers About the Things that Concern Girls (1972), Masculinity and Femininity (1978), Reaching Your Teenager (1983), Human Sexuality (1988), The Parents' Guide to Risky Times: A Companion to Jeanne Blake's Risky Times (1990), Risky Times: How to be AIDS-Smart and Stay Healthy: A Guide to Teenagers (1990), Human Sexuality (Heath Perspectives on Health) (1996), Perspectives on Health Human Sexuality: Annotated Teacher's Editon (1996), and I’m Pregnant, Now What Do I Do? (1997).

She regularly spoke with high school students, parents, and community groups on the topic of teenage sexual behavior and was also a consultant for a variety of family life educational programs. Winship has been the recipient of many professional accolades throughout her career. In 1978 she received a Humanitarian Award for outstanding contributions in promoting human welfare from the Massachusetts Psychological Association, and two years later was honored with the Matrix Award from the Boston Professional Chapter of Women in Communications, Inc., in recognition of her contributions to the development of adolescents. In 1982, the Massachusetts Association of School Psychologists recognized her work by giving her the Journalist of the Year Award, and the Parent Counseling Association of New England made her an honorary member in 1984. In 1998 the Boston Women Communicators honored her with its Legacy Award in recognition of her impact as a role model and successful career woman in communications.

From 1980 through 1984 Winship was a member of the Schlesinger Library’s Advisory Committee, and in 1988 received the Radcliffe College Distinguished Alumnae Award.