386: Marjory Stoneman Douglas
Conservationist, Environmentalist, and “Mother of the Everglades”
Born: 7 April 1890, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
Died: 14 May 1998, Coconut Grove, Florida, United States of America
Before she began her environmental work, she started as an editor and columnist for the Miami Herald after graduating from college with an English Degree. During World War I, she served as a Red Cross Nurse in the European Theatre.
Marjory fought tirelessly to protect the Florida Everglades and stop developers from coming in and bulldozing the area. Her book, The Everglades: River of Glass, was a national sensation and did just as she hoped, raising awareness to save the Everglades. After the publishing of the book, Marjory went on to found the Friends of the Everglades, a conservation organization that continues to work to this day. Today, the Florida Everglades are a national park.
Marjory was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993 and was posthumously inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame.
Alongside her conservation work she was also an equal rights champion who advocated for the passage of the Women’s Suffrage Amendment.
Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked
Located In My Personal Library:
Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky
The Book of Awesome Women: Boundary Breakers, Freedom Fighters, Sheroes, and Female Firsts by Becca Anderson
Sources:
https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/marjory-stoneman-douglas/
https://www.visitflorida.com/en-us/things-to-do/outdoors-nature/everglades-river-of-grass.html
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10826431/marjory-douglas