Orlo\"s Trouble

Gertrude Stonesifer traveled around South America on a cargo ship in a time when women weren’t supposed to go on adventures. She used her master’s degree in Art both to teach children and establish a college Art Department in the 1940’s. She married, became a mother, and was widowed before her 40th birthday. She was a woman ahead of her time, and she didn’t let anything slow her down. She was a grandmother and great-grandmother before she started her writing career at the age of 87. In ten years, she published an autobiography and three children’s books, two of which she illustrated, prior to starting on this, her fifth and final book. Sadly, she would not live to see this book through its publication. Mrs. Stonesifer passed away in 2005, at the age of 97. She made us promise that this would be published…and so it is.

Amy Broemmel is, among other things, a mother, a teacher, and a reader. She began her career as a second grade teacher at an elementary school in northern Illinois. After several years of teaching, she returned to the university to pursue her Ph.D. in Education, and after three years of hard work, earned her degree. She worked with future teachers in both Illinois and Wisconsin, before she accepted a position at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Dr. Broemmel is an Associate Professor of Elementary and Literacy Education at UTK, where she does her best to instill a love of books in every future teacher she encounters. She resides in Knoxville with her family and people-loving cat, Sebastian.

Jim Diehr is a Professor Emeritus of Art and Emeritus Dean of the College of Arts and Letters at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, TN.