Centerville, MA – Joan Mather, former executive editor for Trade Show Executive and a 25-year chronicler of the trade show industry, died June 25 at the age of 73.
Mather wrote for TSE from 2002 until her retirement four years later at the age of 70. She earned numerous writing awards and her monthly column featuring a Roundtable of notables in the industry was her forte.
“She was the Barbara Walters of the trade show industry,” said Darlene Gudea, TSE vice president/publisher & editor. “She had a charm and elegance as well as a penetrating interview style that made her one of the best in the business.”
Mather worked with Gudea, TSE Vice President/Associate Publisher Irene Sperling and Editor-at-Large Carol Andrews at Tradeshow Week for nearly 15 years, starting in the mid-1980s.
“Joan had tenacity, and great insights into our industry,” said Sperling. “She also had a constant excitement about the trade show industry that came through in her writing.”
Mather also had an excitement for writing and learning that lasted her entire life. “At age 58 – an age when most people were winding down in their careers – she enrolled in the Masters program at Harvard University,” said Andrews. Mather often said her proudest moment came when she was 59 and earned her Masters degree in English Literature from Harvard.
Mather, a native of Chicago, lived in the Boston area and settled on Cape Cod in 1999. She is survived by her partner of ten years, Emerson Markham; six sons; and 25 grandchildren.
Funeral services were private. Donations in Joan’s name may be made to Hospice & Palliative Care of Cape Cod, 765 Attucks Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601.
Reach Darlene Gudea at (760) 630-9111 or dgudea@tradeshowexecutive.com
