Marilyn Hagerty

Marilyn Hagerty
Hansen in 1946
Born
Marilyn Gail Hansen

(1926-05-30)May 30, 1926
Pierre, South Dakota, U.S.
DiedSeptember 16, 2025(2025-09-16) (aged 99)
Grand Forks, North Dakota, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of South Dakota
OccupationNewspaper columnist
Spouse
Jack Hagerty
​
​
(m. 1949; died 1997)​
Children3
AwardsAl Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media (2012)

Marilyn Gail Hagerty (née Hansen; May 30, 1926 – September 16, 2025) was an American newspaper columnist, writing for the Grand Forks Herald from 1957 to 2024.[1] Her March 2012 review of the new Olive Garden restaurant in Grand Forks, North Dakota went viral when at first derided, before gaining a supportive following, including from Anthony Bourdain. Her reviews were collected in a 2013 book, Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 128 Reviews, with a foreword by Bourdain.

She was awarded the 2012 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media,[2] the UND Spirit Award, bestowed by the UND Alumni Association and Foundation in 2017,[3] and an honorary degree from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks in 2021.[4]

Early life

Hagerty was born Marilyn Hansen in Pierre, South Dakota, and of Danish American descent. She married her husband Jack on June 19, 1949.[1]

Career

Hagerty began her career in the 1940s as a high school student working for the Capital Journal in Pierre, South Dakota.[5] She graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of South Dakota, where she also wrote for their paper.[6]

She wrote her first article for the Grand Forks Herald in 1957, and became a regular contributor to the paper two years later.[1] She had a regular column by the 1970s, and also began a column of historical reminiscences, That Reminds Me, as well as a Happenings column. She began reviewing restaurants by 1976, and started writing The Eatbeat column in 1986.[citation needed]

She wrote five columns for the paper, and did not consider herself a food critic.[7]She retired from full-time writing in 1991, but soon came back with a part-time schedule but a full-time workload, until she wrote her last article for the paper in 2024.[1]

She received the 2012 Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media.[2] Neuharth noted that Hagerty hired him for his first newspaper job at the University of South Dakota newspaper.[1] In 2017, the UND Alumni Association and Foundation bestowed the UND Spirit Award upon Hagerty.[3] She was awarded an honorary degree from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks in 2021.[4]

She appeared as a guest judge on the Top Chef: Seattle episode "Even the Famous Come Home".[8]

Viral Olive Garden review

Hagerty wrote a review for her "Eatbeat" column in March 2012 of a recently opened Olive Garden restaurant in Grand Forks, calling it "the largest and most beautiful restaurant now operating in Grand Forks". The review noted the chicken alfredo was "warm and comforting on a cold day".[9] Blogs started linking to the review the day after it was published, due to the novelty of an unironic, seemingly positive review of a chain restaurant. Hagerty said she was unfazed by the attention in an interview, though she found much of it "rather condescending".[10] She appeared on Anderson, and was interviewed on CNN and ABC.[11][12][13][better source needed]

Her son James, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, wrote about her newfound fame, noting that "she doesn't like to say anything bad" in her reviews, and if her reviews mention the decor more than the food, "you might want to eat somewhere else".[14]

Her book was published by Bourdain's imprint Anthony Bourdain/Ecco Books.[15][16]

Personal life

She and her husband had two daughters in addition to her son James: Gail and Carol.[1] The couple evacuated to the Bismarck-Mandan area during the 1997 Red River flood, where Jack died in 1997.[17]

She was reported to be recovering from an unspecified medical procedure in September 2021, at the age of 95.[18] She died at a hospital in Grand Forks on September 16, 2025 at the age of 99, from complications related to a stroke.[19][20]

Bibliography

Three collections of Hagerty's columns have been published:

  • Echoes: A Selection of Stories and Columns by Marilyn Hagerty (1994,[21] 246 pages, ISBN 0964286009)[22]
  • The Best of The Eatbeat with Marilyn Hagerty (2012, self-published e-book, ASIN B007JMW8GQ)[23]
  • Grand Forks: A History of American Dining in 128 Reviews (2013, ISBN 9780062228895, foreword by Anthony Bourdain[16])

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Marilyn Hagerty, Herald reporter and columnist for nearly 70 years, dies at age 99". Grand Forks Herald. 16 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  2. ^ a b "National award for Grand Forks reviewer Marilyn Hagerty, All of Garden lover". StarTribune.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  3. ^ a b "Marilyn Hagerty left 'speechless' by UND Spirit Award". Grand Forks Herald. 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  4. ^ a b "Marilyn Hagerty to receive honorary degree from UND". Grand Forks Herald. 2021-03-25. Retrieved 2023-12-04.
  5. ^ Bakken, Ryan (March 12, 2012). "Marilyn Hagerty: 'The Little Old Lady on Cottonwood Street'". Grand Forks Herald. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
  6. ^ Wells, Pete (September 18, 2025). "Marilyn Hagerty, Whose Olive Garden Review Went Viral, Dies at 99". The New York Times. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  7. ^ Rao, Vidya (March 21, 2012). "Eric Ripert 'very happy' Marilyn Hagerty reviewed his restaurant'". Bites on Today. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved March 21, 2012.
  8. ^ Laussade, Alice (December 14, 2012). "Top Chef: Seattle Episode 6 Recap: Nobody Likes a Dry Taco". Dallas Observer. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  9. ^ Marilyn Hagerty, THE EATBEAT: Long-awaited Olive Garden receives warm welcome Archived 2019-05-12 at the Wayback Machine, Grand Forks Herald, March 7, 2012.
  10. ^ Marilyn Hagerty: Interview with genius Olive Garden reviewer Archived December 20, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, City Pages Blogs, Kevin Hoffman, March 8, 2012
  11. ^ "Anderson Reads Marilyn Hagerty's Olive Garden Review". 19 March 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  12. ^ "CNN, Only in America: The Olive Garden reviewer". 13 March 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  13. ^ "ABC, Olive Garden Review by Marilyn Hagerty of 'Eatbeat' Goes Viral". 10 March 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  14. ^ Hagerty, James R. (March 12, 2012). "When Mom Goes Viral". The A-Hed. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 13, 2012.
  15. ^ "Bourdain to work with viral Olive Garden reviewer". CBS News. April 10, 2012.
  16. ^ a b Canavan, Hillary Dixler (August 19, 2013). "Here's Anthony Bourdain's Foreword to Marilyn Hagerty's Book 'Grand Forks'". Eater. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
  17. ^ "Jack Hagerty Obituary". Legacy. June 13, 1997. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  18. ^ Marilyn Hagerty recuperating after operation, grandforksherald.com. Accessed August 26, 2022.
  19. ^ Cho, Kelly Kasulis; Brasch, Ben (September 17, 2025). "Marilyn Hagerty, who went viral reviewing an Olive Garden, dies at 99". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  20. ^ Dura, Jack (September 15, 2025). "North Dakota newspaper columnist whose Olive Garden review went viral dies at 99". AP News. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  21. ^ (September 18, 1994). MARILYN HAGERTY'S WRITINGS GATHERED IN NEW BOOK, Grand Forks Herald
  22. ^ Hagerty, Marilyn (September 1994). Echoes; a Selection of Stories and Columns By Marilyn Hagerty (9780964286009): Books. Grand Forks Herald. ISBN 0964286009.
  23. ^ results, search. The Best of The Eatbeat with Marilyn Hagerty – via Amazon.
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marilyn_Hagerty