Mini-Unit Famous Person : Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Related Topics :The Everglades, The Water Cycle, Conservation, Ecosystems, National Parks.
Grade Level
Author: Georgiann Smith Marjory Stoneman Douglas Menu Everglades National Park The Water Cycle References ... Background In 1975, Marjory Stoneman Douglas was named Conservationist of the year by the Florida Audubon Society for more than 60 years of dedicated work of informing people of the importance of the Florida Everglades and also for her efforts to conserve, protect and restore the Everglades. She was awarded with the same honor by the Florida Wildlife Federation a year later. For Marjory Stoneman Douglas, though, the public's concern about the threatened Everglades' ecosystem was the best reward. Marjory Stoneman Douglas was born on April 7, 1890. When Marjory was four, she went with her parents on a trip to Florida. She would always remember "the marvelous light, the wonderful white tropic light." Marjory had a rough childhood in which she moved often from state to state in order for her father to find work. Her parents divorced and she spent most of her childhood with her mother. To escape her troubled household she would read. She loved books and also began to write stories of her own. In the fall of 1908, Marjory left home to attend Wellesley College, a women's college near Boston. She quickly took an interest in continuing her writing and found a new interest in public speaking. In 1911, during her third year at Wellesley, Marjory and some of her friends formed a club to support the voting rights of women. (Until 1920, only men could vote.) When asked why she formed the club Marjory explained, "You have to stand up for some things in this world." | |
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