Feder: Celebrated Chicago journalist Jeannie Morris dies

Jeannie Morris, a celebrated journalist, bestselling author, globe-trotting adventurer, and award-winning producer and reporter, blazed a trail for women as Chicago's first female sports broadcaster, Robert Feder writes.

Morris, who turned 85 on December 2, died Monday at her Chicago condominium. For the past year she had been undergoing chemotherapy for appendiceal cancer, according to her family.

"She had an incredible career and did a lot of amazing things both in and out of journalism," said her son, Tim Morris, a former Chicago TV sports producer. "Beyond her life in TV, she traveled the world, pursued her passions and lived a lot of dreams that she probably never would have expected to."

Starting in 1967 - at a time when women were virtually nonexistent in sportscasting - Morris spent 24 years as a sports reporter, producer and host first at NBC-owned WMAQ-Channel 5 and then at CBS-owned WBBM-Channel 2.

Her pioneering TV work followed stints as a sports columnist for Chicago's American and sports reporter for the Chicago Daily News. She began writing under the byline of "Mrs. Johnny Morris," reflecting the status of women in journalism at the time.

Get the full report, and more Chicago media news, at robertfeder.com.