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Show XIV Preface and Acknowledgments This biography has been written under a grant from Silver Publishers, Inc. a private corporation directed by Barnard and Cherry Silver, with contributions from Julianne and Steven and Dixie and Robert Huefner. The Silvers are particularly delighted to sponsor a biography of a Latter-day Saint woman whose influence was exerted not as a political, business, or education alleader, but as a family member, teacher, and civic activist. Well along in the preparation of this biography, Barnard Silver located a box in which were placed the files Brian Silver had assembled shortly after her death in preparation for an intended biography of his mother. Brian had been commis sioned to do this by Madelyn's widowed husband, Harold, in the summer of 1962 when Brian returned from his second year Harvard. Brian's tentative outline shows chapters on and her education birth, Madelyn's heritage, girlhood; through high school; the university; her interest in literature; her experi ence as a teacher; her courtship, marriage, and family; later interest in literature; later activities as a teacher; her 25th wed ding anniversary world cruise (1954); her Colorado River trip (1959); her 30th wedding anniversary costume party (1959); at and her last summer (1961). The files include excerpts from her letters, diary entries, poems, short stories, and original dramat ic skits. Some of the material in these files was not available in other sources. In acknowledging Brian's permission to freely use this material, I express gratitude for his self-effacing collection, for his obvious love of his mother and respect for her literary abilities, and for some recorded perceptions that have made this biography richer than it would otherwise have been. Where I have used material in Brian's compilation, I have so indicated in a footnote, using the initials BQSC (Brian Quayle Silver Collection). Other helpful material provided by Barnard and Cherry Silver includes letters from Madelyn to her mother and to her aunts, sisters, and children; some letters of others relating to Madelyn; and a bundle of documents in the Madelyn Silver Collection. I also wish to acknowledge the written and oral comments of Madelyn'S children, made expressly for use in this book: |
