Esther Kartiganer '59, a trailblazer in the field of journalism, as well as an esteemed and involved alumna of both Brandeis and the Justice, passed away on Aug. 1 in Aspen, Colo. after suffering a heart attack.

Kartiganer, 74, was perhaps most well-recognized outside of Brandeis as an Emmy award-winning senior editor and senior producer of CBS' television news magazine 60 Minutes. She began her 40-year career at the network as a temporary assistant. Kartiganer rose to editorial and production positions in a field that was still overwhelmingly male dominated, and established herself as a "highly respected colleague at '60 Minutes' [who] worked on many major news stories," in the words of Brandeis trustee and CBS senior producer Allen Alter '71 in an interview with BrandeisNOW.

In an interview for a 2006 Women's and Gender Studies newsletter, Kartiganer attributed her professional success to her choice not to marry or have children. "Only single women had the flexibility to put work at the top of their priorities," she said. "During that year [when she worked as a temporary assistant], I got to know almost everyone at CBS, and that's how the temporary job became permanent."

She further broke down gender barriers as a founding member of the National Board for Women's and Gender Studies. She also served as the Board's co-chair for many years.

Brandeis' Women's and Gender Studies program created the Kartiganer Prize in her honor in 2007. The prize is awarded annually to an undergraduate student in recognition of his or her work in journalism and women's and gender studies.

"She saw first-hand how difficult it was for women, and wanted to live out the Brandeis values of equality and justice," said Prof. Sue Lanser (WMGS), chair of the program, in an interview with BrandeisNOW. "She saw the Women's and Gender Studies Program as a path to do it."

Kartiganer was also involved in the Brandeis community in several other ways. She can trace her journalistic roots to the Justice, for which she worked during her time as a student. She also played for the women's basketball team and was inducted into the Joseph M. Linsey Brandeis Athletic Hall of Fame in 2003 as part of the undefeated 1955-56 team.

She served on both the Alumni Association Board of Directors and the Brandeis Board of Trustees for several years during the 1980s, contributed to the Alumni Annual Fund and was a member of the Sachar Legacy Society.

She is survived by her brother, Joseph and his wife, Audrey, two nieces, Alison Beth and Deborah Lynn and Deborah's husband and two children.