Bright Ideas

I tend to think of myself as I was at 27 or 30, full-voiced, opinionated, the sort of person you either liked or didn’t. I never was big, but I tried to stand tall. I was a Democrat, but there were a few other Democrats in this mostly Republican county. Certain established Republican women had a hard time enduring me, but I brought a local boy home after a 17 year absence.

My husband didn’t choose to attend Chamber of Commerce meetings; he took care of kids. I became a member of the organization. When a former president of the Chamber wanted to dissolve the organization, I stepped in and assum...