And a Fight to Save a Burning River
By John Perse
Journalist, environmental advocate, proponent for women in journalism, and eventually,
a Labor Department attorney, Betty Klaric epitomized what it meant to be a public
servant. Born in Yorkville, Ohio in 1931, Klaric ended up in Cleveland, Ohio and was
instrumental in focusing attention on the pollution in the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie.
Her dramatic and extensive coverage of the Cuyahoga River fire of 1969, its causes
and possible remedies, helped shine the national spotlight on the problem of polluted
rivers and streams feeding into Lake Erie and other bodies of water.
Klaric’s coverage of the Cuyahoga River fire, as a journalist for the Cleveland Press,
was essential in getting both the people and the leaders in Cleveland to focus on
environmental issues. Indeed, as one of nation’s first full-time environmental reporters,
she brought national and international attention to these issues.
As a result of her journalistic platform, dogged determination, and persistent coverage
of these issues, Klaric was credited with helping to change public opinion about
pollution. It has been opined that her work helped lead to the first Earth Day in April of
1970, and the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency in December of
that same year. These steps to protect the environment were followed by other legislation, including The Clean Water Act of 1972. Her persistent and unflinching coverage of pollution in Cleveland’s air, water, and soil inspired environmental legislation and community involvement, and won her national acclaim.
Betty Klaric also advocated for pensions for female journalists and was elected
president of the Cleveland Newspaper Guild in 1967. She received a National Headliner
award in 1972, the Edward J. Meeman Conservation Awards in 1973, and the Water
Pollution Control Federation Schlenz Medal in 1979. After the Cleveland Press ceased
publications, she began studying law, and eventually worked at the State Employment
Relations Board and as a trial lawyer in the U.S. labor solicitor’s office. Even in
retirement, Klaric continued to serve her community by volunteering at the Legal Aid
Society in Cleveland, where she worked as a part-time community education specialist .
Klaric passed away in 2011 following a lifetime of public and in her honor a park at East
9th Street and Rockwell Avenue was renamed Betty Klaric Park.
