William B. Mahoney
Encyclopedia
William B. Mahoney was a prize-winning U.S. journalist and writer who had a successful late-in-life second career as a substance-abuse counselor.
Born to a farming family in Ballynacarriga in County Cork
, Ireland
, in 1912, Bill Mahoney immigrated to the United States with his parents and siblings when he was 14. Not long after the family settled in New York City, he became a copyboy at the New York Daily Mirror
, a morning tabloid of the William Randolph Hearst
publishing empire. Over the next years, despite being sidelined for a time by tuberculosis, he rose to the sports desk at the Mirror; he also organized for the Newspaper Guild
. He was eventually joined both on the Mirror staff and as a Guild organizer by his brother, Dan Mahoney
(1916–99). (Dan lost his job on the paper during the post-war purges of actual or suspected Communists).
After the United States entered World War II, Bill—who was unable to serve because of his earlier illness—left the Mirror for free-lance writing, and by the immediate post-war years was being published in such magazines as the Saturday Evening Post and Cosmopolitan
. Two Post stories were anthologized, "The Stolen Belt" in the magazine's Best Stories of 1948 collection and "Wrong Guy" in a collection for high-school students.
By 1950, however, free-lance writing was inadequate to support Mahoney's growing family—he had four children from his two marriages, to Beatrice Shishko and Jeanne Adleman. He went back to journalism, joining the staff of the short-lived New York Daily Compass as a sports writer. After a stint in public relations, he edited the Hotel Trades Council's magazine Hotel, which under his leadership won many union journalism awards.
In the mid-1960s, having struggled for years with an ever-worsening drinking problem, he found sobriety with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous
and moved to upstate New York, where he became an alcohol- and substance-abuse counselor for local public health agencies. Eventually he moved to Berkeley, California
, and finally, in the early 1990s, to Miami, remaining involved with AA—and sponsoring scores of other alcoholics on their road to sobriety—wherever he lived. He died in Miami in 2004 at the age of 92.
All four of his children and at least one of his grandchildren are published writers (as was his second wife, Jeanne Adleman (1919–99)). His oldest daughter, Judith Mahoney Pasternak, is a journalist and author of several books on travel and popular culture. His two younger daughters, Joan Mahoney
and Martha R. Mahoney, are widely published legal scholars. Joan Mahoney served as dean at Western New England College of Law and Wayne State University Law School
in Detroit and has written extensively on reproductive rights, constitutional law, legal history, comparative civil liberties, and bioethics. Martha R. Mahoney is a professor at the University of Miami
and writes about domestic violence and critical race theory and is co-author (with John Calmore and Stephanie Wildman) of a legal casebook, Social Justice: Professionals, Communities, and Law. Don Mahoney, Bill Mahoney's only son, is a noted direct-mail copywriter and co-author of The Rise of Gold in the 21st Century. Judith Mahoney Pasternak's older son, Adam T. Lass, writes on economics, investing, and stocks and co-wrote a travel guide to Washington, DC, with his mother.
Born to a farming family in Ballynacarriga in County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, in 1912, Bill Mahoney immigrated to the United States with his parents and siblings when he was 14. Not long after the family settled in New York City, he became a copyboy at the New York Daily Mirror
New York Daily Mirror
The New York Daily Mirror was an American morning tabloid newspaper first published on June 24, 1924, in New York City by the William Randolph Hearst organization as a contrast to their mainstream broadsheets, the Evening Journal and New York American, later consolidated into the New York Journal...
, a morning tabloid of the William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst
William Randolph Hearst was an American business magnate and leading newspaper publisher. Hearst entered the publishing business in 1887, after taking control of The San Francisco Examiner from his father...
publishing empire. Over the next years, despite being sidelined for a time by tuberculosis, he rose to the sports desk at the Mirror; he also organized for the Newspaper Guild
Newspaper Guild
The Newspaper Guild-CWA is a labor union founded by newspaper journalists in 1933 who noticed that unionized printers and truck drivers were making more money than they did...
. He was eventually joined both on the Mirror staff and as a Guild organizer by his brother, Dan Mahoney
Dan Mahoney
Dan Mahoney was an Irish-American journalist who was investigated in the 1950s by Joseph McCarthy and James Eastland for possible Communist activities and party membership....
(1916–99). (Dan lost his job on the paper during the post-war purges of actual or suspected Communists).
After the United States entered World War II, Bill—who was unable to serve because of his earlier illness—left the Mirror for free-lance writing, and by the immediate post-war years was being published in such magazines as the Saturday Evening Post and Cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan (magazine)
Cosmopolitan is an international magazine for women. It was first published in 1886 in the United States as a family magazine, was later transformed into a literary magazine and eventually became a women's magazine in the late 1960s...
. Two Post stories were anthologized, "The Stolen Belt" in the magazine's Best Stories of 1948 collection and "Wrong Guy" in a collection for high-school students.
By 1950, however, free-lance writing was inadequate to support Mahoney's growing family—he had four children from his two marriages, to Beatrice Shishko and Jeanne Adleman. He went back to journalism, joining the staff of the short-lived New York Daily Compass as a sports writer. After a stint in public relations, he edited the Hotel Trades Council's magazine Hotel, which under his leadership won many union journalism awards.
In the mid-1960s, having struggled for years with an ever-worsening drinking problem, he found sobriety with the help of Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
and moved to upstate New York, where he became an alcohol- and substance-abuse counselor for local public health agencies. Eventually he moved to Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, and finally, in the early 1990s, to Miami, remaining involved with AA—and sponsoring scores of other alcoholics on their road to sobriety—wherever he lived. He died in Miami in 2004 at the age of 92.
All four of his children and at least one of his grandchildren are published writers (as was his second wife, Jeanne Adleman (1919–99)). His oldest daughter, Judith Mahoney Pasternak, is a journalist and author of several books on travel and popular culture. His two younger daughters, Joan Mahoney
Joan Mahoney
Joan Mahoney is distinguished legal scholar and former dean of two law schools. She served as Dean at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan, from 1998 to 2003, the first woman law school dean in Michigan and one of the very few women in the United States to have held the deanship...
and Martha R. Mahoney, are widely published legal scholars. Joan Mahoney served as dean at Western New England College of Law and Wayne State University Law School
Wayne State University Law School
Wayne State University Law School is located in the City of Detroit’s Cultural Center, and is one of the schools of Wayne State University. It is one of two public law schools in the state of Michigan. The Law School has educated and trained lawyers since 1927, and its 10,000+ alumni serve as...
in Detroit and has written extensively on reproductive rights, constitutional law, legal history, comparative civil liberties, and bioethics. Martha R. Mahoney is a professor at the University of Miami
University of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
and writes about domestic violence and critical race theory and is co-author (with John Calmore and Stephanie Wildman) of a legal casebook, Social Justice: Professionals, Communities, and Law. Don Mahoney, Bill Mahoney's only son, is a noted direct-mail copywriter and co-author of The Rise of Gold in the 21st Century. Judith Mahoney Pasternak's older son, Adam T. Lass, writes on economics, investing, and stocks and co-wrote a travel guide to Washington, DC, with his mother.