Jean Holmes Finlayson, affectionately known as ‘Jeannie,’ a beloved former journalist of the Bath Chronicle and a dedicated community figure, died last week at the age of 91.
Hailing from a small town in Southern Illinois, nestled where the Midwest meets the Deep South, Jean’s early promise was evident. She attended the prestigious University of Missouri School of Journalism on a scholarship, where she earned a major academic award alongside classmates such as renowned PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer.
Graduating in 1956, Jean launched her career as assistant editor of a nationwide farming magazine in the United States. During this time, she lived on a remote Texas farm with her first husband, even acquiring a pilot’s license to navigate the challenging rural terrain in a solo aircraft.
READ MORE: Clarks Village Seeks Pawsome Pooch to Reign as Shopping Centre’s Top Dog
READ MORE: Somerset Secure Comfortable Four-Wicket Victory Over Kent in One-Day Cup
Relocating to the United Kingdom in 1958, Jean taught English literature to American service personnel stationed at air bases. She was among the first American tourists to visit the Soviet Union in 1960 and subsequently traveled extensively across the USSR, including its Central Asian republics.
In 1963, Jean married Scottish biochemist Vic Finlayson, who later became an Open University tutor. Jean’s distinguished journalism and media career included notable roles with the National Union of Teachers and the Mendips-based Further Education Staff College. She freelanced for major outlets such as The Times, The Sunday Times, The Guardian, and the Times Educational Supplement. Her investigative and campaigning work was particularly impactful in raising awareness of the challenges faced by families of children with dyslexia.
Jean’s tenure at the Bath Chronicle from 1970 to 1977 is fondly remembered. Starting with a consumer affairs column and later serving as TV critic, she penned hundreds of feature articles that vividly captured Bath’s local life and personalities, often inspiring lively public discourse.
One of her most enduring legacies was her pivotal role in the campaign to save the allotments beside St Stephen’s Church on Lansdown Road from development threats. Thanks to this effort, the allotments were preserved and transformed into the cherished Lansdown Millennium Green, a treasured community space.
Jean and Vic made their home in Lansdown from 1969 until 2014 before moving to Norwich, where their son Alan is a politics professor at the University of East Anglia. Jean is survived by Alan and her daughter Natasha, a charity chief executive.
Her dedication to journalism, community preservation, and advocacy leaves a lasting imprint on Bath and beyond.