Maggie Jakpost Journalist

She was  pioneer, trainer and mentor at The Jakarta Post,

who according to a colleague “shaped many writers”,

she died on Thursday at 2:40 p.m. at the age of 69.

she died of anaphylactic shock after an earlier allergic reaction.

Maggie will be buried at Kemiri Cemetery in Rawamangun, on Friday after noon prayers.

Staff at the Post expressed shock and sorrow at the sudden news

as she was still mentoring reporters as late as Wednesday evening.

She was born on June 5, 1949, in Creston, Iowa, in the United States, to Edna Crow and Vernon Paul Glade.

She graduated as bachelor of fine arts from the University of Iowa,

where she met Leon Agusta, a renowned Indonesian poet.

She moved to Indonesia and wed Leon in 1978,

becoming stepmother to his several sons and daughters from two earlier marriages.

She started working with the Post in 1984, a year after it was founded, as a copy editor,

and became chief copy editor,

she established the Check Desk in 1995, recalls Linda, the current Check Desk head.

Strenuous editing and long hours contributed to newsroom stress;

but led Maggie to conclude that

cultural differences were behind many problems in reporting, writing and editing work by reporters

whose first language was Indonesian.

Maggie also contributed pieces as an art critic for the newspaper.

“But her greatest pride was

when she was asked to train and mentor the new journalists,”

“It was something that she never wanted to stop doing.

Dad tried to get her to retire, I tried to get her to retire,

but she just loved training journalists so much […]

it was just a massive source of pride and joy for her.”

Paul added that another source of pride for her was her activism.

“She was one of the most badass feminists I’ve ever met.

Her powerful essays touched many hearts and empowered many people,”

She was also a translator and writer.

Through her abundant projects and activities with cross-cultural communities

Maggie touched many lives.

Apart from Paul and his partner Kyo Hananto and her stepchildren,

Maggie is also survived by a sister and a brother in the US.

Film writer and restorer Lisabona noted that

she had translated more than half of the entries in the Indonesian Film Catalogue (filmindonesia.or.id) from 1926 until the present day. 

“I think we have to pay tribute to her for her contributions

as a teacher as well as someone who bridged cultures very well.