Journalist and author Liz Scott Monaghan was inducted into the School of Communication and Design’s Den of Distinction, the highest honor an alumnus can receive, at a reception in May at The Chloe in New Orleans.
Monaghan, a 1964 Loyola graduate, is a noted author, journalist and business owner, as well as a longtime journalism instructor at Loyola. As a student in the 1960s, she was editor of the Maroon. She later served as the newspaper’s advisor for 12 years.
She has written several books under the name Modine Gunch, including “Never Clean Your House During Hurricane Season” and “Never Sleep with a Fat Man in July.” As her alter ego Gunch, Monaghan also pens a long-standing humor column in New Orleans Magazine, where she serves as a contributing editor. She has won numerous local and national awards for her writing.
Monaghan co-authored and edited “Cookbook for the Hungry,” described as "a wickedly delicious collection of recipes and cooking tips, spiced liberally with political wit and served up by Louisiana Democrats,” as well as the self-published “Getting into New Orleans Seafood,” with Yvette Autin Warren. She also produces a weekly e-newsletter for the Northshore Democratic Women's Club in St. Tammany Parish.
“While I was a college journalist, print evolved from lead to computer-based type,” Monaghan said, referencing her time as an undergraduate at Loyola. “The president of the United States rode past our university in an open convertible – and was assassinated not long after. Female students, then called coeds, deflated their hair from beehive to long and lanky, and young men were shipped off to fight in Vietnam. Loyola grounded us through all of that. It’s an honor to be inducted into the Den, and I am most grateful.”
The Den of Distinction – the school’s alumni hall of fame – honors individuals who have distinguished themselves by a lifetime of accomplishments or extraordinary achievement. Monaghan is the 2024 inductee.
