A native of western Massachusetts, I was fortunate to move with my family to Colorado when I was eight years old. I like to say that we came via The Mayflower. Of course that would be the Mayflower Moving Company! I have a BS in education from the University of Colorado Boulder which led to a teaching career of over thirty years in elementary, middle, and high schools, and at two community colleges. Yes, I have STORIES!

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I earned two master's degrees -- one in United States History and one in Public History -- from University of Colorado Denver.

 

Upon retirement from teaching I indulged in several long trips with my mother and worked on my first book, Colorado Women: A History. During the next eight years I researched and wrote my second book, Colorado Women in World War II. Two long hiking trips in Ireland (April 2017 and April 2018) were welcome hiatuses from reading microfilmed newspapers and poring through books and archival material. I love researching but microfilm reading is blinding and sitting long stretches of time is exhausting. Fifteen to twenty mile hikes from bed and breakfast to bed and breakfast in the Irish countryside was restorative! 

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December 2019 through January 2021 were pleasantly spent researching and working with Dr. Thomas J. Noel on The Women's Bank: A Denver Success Story. What an amazing group of founding women (and men).

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As restrictions are lifted, I am back to doing presentations on my books as well as continuing to portray "Gail Murphy: Colorado's Rosie the Riveter."