Jacqueline Evon Pierce (1939 – 2023)
Jackie Pierce was born in Emmett, Idaho and eloped with her high-school sweetheart when she was eighteen. They and their three children lived in Hayward, California before moving north. Their goal was Alaska, but they fell in love with Whitehorse along the way. They lived in an un-serviced cabin for nine years and then moved to the Carcross Cutoff where they finished raising their family of five. The couple split up in 1990. Jackie started working as the Advertising Manager for the Whitehorse Star in 1972. She was offered shares in 1979 and became a 25% owner. In 1982, she was in charge of all operations when the owners moved south. She bought out Bob Erlam in 2002 and became the only woman in Canada to be the sole owner/publisher of an independent Canadian daily newspaper. Jackie encouraged her staff to try new roles and the newspaper became a steppingstone for many budding professionals.1)