Virginia "Jean" Giambrone (May 6, 1921 – January 21, 2013) was an American sports writer, who became the first woman to be awarded full press credentials at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.
[1] Jack Nicklaus called her "a true professional in her craft",[1] while former colleagues noted her impact on women's athletics and journalism: Scott Pitoniak opined that "Every current female athlete, coach and administrator really owes her a debt of gratitude,"[2] while Bob Matthews called her "the best friend women sports people in Rochester ever had.
While a sophomore there in 1939, she went to the Democrat and Chronicle newspaper and complained to sports editor Elliot Cushing that female athletes were not being given proper coverage, saying that she was "tired of reading about men all the time.
"[1] Cushing immediately hired her, and she began covering women's sports part-time while attending college.
[1] While working for the Times-Union in the 1940s, she was asked to mail a letter to Charlie Giambrone, a military policeman stationed in New Orleans.