Alice Fitch Zeman
Born: September 14,1931 in Aurora, Illinois
Died: July 28, 2011 in Paw Paw, Illinois Pen Name: None Connection to Illinois: Zeman was born in Aurora and grew up in Yorkville. She lived in Morris and eventually settled in Paw Paw. Biography: Alice Fitch Zeman and her husband were farmers. She was a member of the Aurora Chapter National Society of Daughters of American Revolution. For 10 years she was in charge of the Red Cross Swimming lessons for Paw Paw children sponsored by the Lions Club. Active in the Paw Paw Area Chamber of Commerce and a supporter of community events. For many years she reported the Paw Paw area news for the Mendota Reporter as well as several other local newspapers. She was the author of two books as well as a compiler of Paw Paw and Potawatomi Indian history for which she received four certificates of recognition by the Illinois State Historical Society, the Star Award from the Lee County Tourism, and the International Telly Award. Alice was honored by the Village of Paw Paw designating February 2011 as Alice Zeman month and naming the library reading room in her name in recognition of her countless hours of volunteer work and service to the community.
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Selected Titles
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Mary Lewis - The Golden Haired Beauty With The Golden Voice ISBN: 0914546996 OCLC: 48566704 Rose Pub. Co., Little Rock, AR : ©2001. Although Mary Lewis was described as one of the most publicized singers of the 1920s, her touching story has almost been forgotten. The biography is fresh and exciting. She was called a Cinderella, but unlike Cinderella, Mary Lewis didnt live happily ever afterbut that was a fairy talethe Mary Lewis story is true. Born in poverty she was trained and tutored by foster parents. Her first solos were sung in Methodist churches of the south. Finding life in the strict, religious home too oppressive, Mary eventually left Little Rock, Arkansas, with a vaudeville troupe to begin her professional career. Her golden voice enabled her to gain fame and sometimes fortune. She sang them allthe spiritual, the jazz, the Broadway hits of the 1920s, classical concerts, and Grand Opera. Her voice was heard over network radio. The sometimes eerie voice of Mary Lewis is not silencedfortunately preserved by Victor and RCA recordings. Mary Lewis traveled by rail, by ship, by the newest and fastest planes, and even in a dirigible! She was loved by the rich and famousbut the personal life of our Cinderella moved from triumph to tragedy. Possible radiation poisoning from her Ziegfeld costume and alcoholism took a toll on the personal life of Mary Lewis. Beautiful and talented with a personality to match, Mary Lewis entertained with a career that was brilliant at times and at others frustratingly self-destructive. Now the whole story is known. Mary Lewis was born January 29, 1897, in Hot Springs, Arkansas. She died December 31, 1941, in New York City, New York. Buried in Pinecrest Cemetery, Alexander, Arkansas. |
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Wabansi : Fiend or Friend? ISBN: 0963326600 OCLC: Alice Zeman 1991 Wabansi is a biography of a Potawatomi leader who left his name as a legacy to the midwest region where he made his home. Although his name is familiar, little is known about the man himself. The various spellings of his name are as confusing as the many legends which have been connected with his name. The biography follows his trail from his birth in about 1765 and early childhood in Indiana, his advance to leadership position of the Potawatomi, the migration to Illinois, and the removal of the people to western Missouri and Iowa where he died in about 1848. Sources are documented with chapter endnotes, artwork, bibliography, and index included. The biography will make a valuable resource suggested for readers high school and adult. |