Girls Who Wear Pearls

Mom always said, “A girl should never be without pearls.” Mom was right. Pearls are grounded and classic, a reminder of a girl’s dignity and gender. Nobody knew this better than Dickey Chapelle, a pioneer female photojournalist and war correspondent who followed the troops into war zones, foxholes, and front lines during WWII, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. You never saw Dickey without her trademark Leica camera, and wearing her everpresent anti-combat-ready pearl…

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Forever Young

As Women’s History Month winds down, census records are on my mind. They are a blessing and a curse to the biographer. Once again, I am researching a Victorian Colorado woman who was fashionably demure about revealing her age and birthdate. Elizabeth “Baby Doe” Tabor was born in 1854. I am not sure of the exact date, because I have encountered negative evidence in that regard. She attained the age of six by the 1860…

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Women in Western History

This week in Colorado, Women’s History Month will be celebrated at an event called “Meet the Women in Denver’s History”. On Wednesday, March 24, 5-7 p.m., at Denver’s Molly Brown House Museum, docents will dress as historic characters while visitors enjoy an open house. I have the privilege of meeting and greeting patrons in the carriage house gift shop, and to sign copies of my biographies. Characters from my books who will be portrayed are…

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