Publisher: Luminare Press
Pages: 303
Marie was born a girl. That was only her first mistake, according to her father.
In an era when daughters and wives are not supposed to be concerned with matters outside the home, Marie is determined to prove him wrong. To do this, she must break down barriers placed on women in society, overcome difficulties that befall her, surpass hardships from the Great Depression, and then face an inevitable relocation.
Marie steps into her community and into the hearts of many people to give her time and help with their needs. She wants nothing in return other than her father's acceptance as a worthy woman and yet, she gains much in return, even if it is not her father's praise. This is Marie’s story—of a rise from her girlhood angsts to become a leading lady—and much more.
This definitive biography is the empowering true story of one trailblazing woman who, in the mid-1900s in small-town America, changed her community and beyond for the better and forevermore.
Excerpt
Chapter 8
To Follow Life’s Lead (1948).
Marie stood poised and sported a houndstooth dress with an ascot scarf that flowed and dropped perfectly just below her neckline. Her polite smile, accentuated by red lipstick with rounded corners, conveyed a benevolent charm as she welcomed guests to a teachers’ reception on Thursday evening, September 16. Parents and PTA members showed up in a record-breaking attendance to meet sixty-three teachers in the south wing of Lebanon High School. Parents were handed name tags to pin on their suit jackets, and teachers wore corsages.
Marie greeted each person as they walked in, and the total in attendance numbered more than two hundred. Once everyone was seated comfortably in the high school’s Little Theater, Marie stepped up to the podium and introduced herself as the 1948—49 PTA president. Her attentive audience listened as she next introduced the superintendent of the Lebanon schools, Mr. James King.
Mr. King’s speech emphasized the student population growth. They now had 950 grade school students, up from the previous year’s 622. The high school was no exception in that it had increased to 1,620 students. He also gave mention to Green Acres School, which would soon open. With an expressed appreciation for all that the PTA was doing, Mr. King recognized that they had their hands full. In all plausibility, Marie held her head high and nodded with a can-do-attitude.
It was a tall order, but she had successfully led a Red Cross fund drive as residential chairman and had managed the unit’s finances with the American Legion. She was accustomed to organizing events and assuming responsibilities. She knew that this PTA presidential term would experience many firsts in their membership pool. They now had room mother presidents not only in the two grade schools but also in the high school, along with a greater number of committees and chairman positions. And, as Mr. King had said, another grade school would open later that school year, which meant even more room mothers for Marie and her officers to lead. She knew she could lead the PTA. If only her father could also have known that.
© Elle Mott 2026
~ Samantha Wilcoxson, award-winning author of Luminous: The Story of a Radium Girl. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
~ Kayla Frederick, bestselling author. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
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