Elizabeth “Liz” Fulton died in her sleep in Darien, CT on Jan. 27, 2021. She was 70.
Journalist, writer, musician, artist, equestrian, and loving mother, sister, and daughter, Liz was the consummate renaissance woman. Born in New York City on May 31, 1950 to Bill and Joan Fulton (neé Twelfthtree), Liz grew up in Cos Cob, Connecticut. As a child, Liz loved to ride horses, swim, and play the drums, activities that would bring her joy throughout her life. A deep-rooted love of rock n’ roll led her to attend Woodstock in 1969 at age 19.
In her career as a journalist, Liz followed in the footsteps of both her parents—Bill, a newspaperman for the Chicago Tribune, Joan, a correspondent for the United Press (now United Press International). In the mid-1970s, Liz was the first voice many New Yorkers woke up to in the morning as the drive time news reporter for WPLJ, then New York City’s Top FM radio station.
In the late 1970s, an itch for travel led her abroad to Europe and then the Middle East where she became a stringer for CBS. She covered the Lebanese Civil War from Beirut, reported on the Ayatollah’s return to Tehran, and filed stories from Kabul during the Russian incursion into Afghanistan.
Returning to New York in 1982, Liz served as an on-air network correspondent for NBC, introduced by Jane Pauley in the morning, and Tom Brokaw in the evening. She married Clyde “Larry” Caldwell in 1983 and had one child, Maggie, in 1984. The young family moved to Redding, Connecticut in 1986.
Liz took a break from the news business in the early 90s, turning her focus to a creative life of painting, gardening, music, and writing. She authored two novels, “Vengeance My Love,” about a journalist in the Middle East, and “The Palm Dome,” a mystery set in Connecticut.
Following her amicable divorce, she wrote an unpublished book that was part memoir, part gardening guide called “Gardening as a Bloodsport.” She also produced a children’s documentary about draft horses called “Big Horse.” In the evenings, she played drums for The Bad Dogs, a Fairfield County-based rock band.
In the mid-90s, Liz returned to journalism as a contributor to the Nickelodeon children’s program “Nick News,” hosted by Linda Ellerbee. Liz won a Peabody Award for her work on the show. Later, she joined NBC’s Today Show as a news producer, where she won two Emmys.
In retirement, Liz and her partner Bruce Stanbery traveled extensively before settling back into her beloved home on the Norwalk River in Ridgefield, CT.
Liz is survived by her daughter, Maggie Caldwell of Portsmouth, N.H. Liz is also survived by her sisters Jill Jarboe of Austin, Texas, and Sally Clay of Danbury, CT, brother Scott Fulton of Washington state, and partner Bruce Stanbery of Costa Rica. She was predeceased by her parents.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks those who wish to remember Liz by making a contribution in her name to the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF.org), which provides programs and grants to women journalists. A celebration of Liz’s life will be held when it’s safer to gather.
