▁between ▁ 1 9 1 8 ▁and ▁ 1 9 2 1 ▁and ▁upon ▁gradu ating ▁received ▁an ▁athlet ic ▁scholar ship ▁amount ing ▁to ▁a ▁year ' s ▁college ▁tu ition . ▁L ack ing ▁money ▁to ▁pay ▁room , ▁board , ▁and ▁other ▁ess entials ▁that ▁were ▁not ▁covered ▁by ▁the ▁scholar ship , ▁she ▁spent ▁a ▁year ▁working ▁in ▁a ▁sequence ▁of ▁ret ail ▁jobs , ▁including ▁one ▁as ▁editor ▁of ▁a ▁department ▁store ▁magazine . ▁In ▁the ▁fall ▁of ▁ 1 9 2 2 ▁Martin ▁en rolled ▁in ▁Sy rac use ▁University ▁and ▁during ▁her ▁fresh man ▁year ▁she ▁earned ▁letters ▁in ▁basketball , ▁track , ▁and ▁rif le ▁shooting . ▁Although ▁she ▁took ▁jobs ▁on ▁campus ▁and ▁set ▁up ▁a ▁la und ry ▁pick - up ▁service , ▁she ▁was ▁unable ▁to ▁ear n ▁enough ▁money ▁to ▁continue ▁beyond ▁the ▁first ▁year . ▁ ▁Early ▁career ▁as ▁a ▁journalist ▁ ▁Martin ▁became ▁a ▁professional ▁journalist ▁at ▁age ▁ 2 0 ▁when , ▁having ▁returned ▁ ▁home ▁from ▁Sy rac use , ▁she ▁used ▁her ▁experience ▁as ▁editor ▁and ▁ath lete ▁to ▁obtain ▁the ▁position ▁of ▁sports ▁editor ▁for ▁the ▁Washington ▁Times . ▁In ▁ 1 9 6 9 ▁her ▁ob itu ary ▁stated ▁that ▁in ▁taking ▁the ▁job ▁she ▁became ▁the ▁first ▁ever ▁woman ▁sports ▁editor ▁at ▁a ▁daily ▁paper , ▁however , ▁it ▁is ▁more ▁accurate ▁to ▁say ▁that ▁she ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁woman ▁editor ▁of ▁a ▁major ▁metropol itan ▁daily ▁since ▁in ▁ 1 9 0