Carolyn Newton Curry will be the next featured author in Georgia Writers Museum’s popular Meet the Author series. The program will be held virtually, via Zoom, at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2. The event is free to the public, but donations are appreciated. For more information or to register, visit www.georgiawritersmuseum.org.
Curry is the author of Suffer & Grow Strong: The Life of Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas (1834 – 1907). Thomas was born in 1834 to one of Georgia’s wealthiest families. She began keeping a diary at the age of 14, and continued for 41 years. Well-educated and socially active, she chronicled her life before, during, and after the Civil War, when she experienced devastating losses in virtually every area of her life. These losses instilled her with empathy and sensitivity for the well-being of other women, and she became active in many women’s organizations, including the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and the Suffrage Movement. Her declaration that she had “suffered and grown strong” provided Carolyn Newton Curry with the title for her book about Thomas.
“Although Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas lived over 100 years ago, her story resonates with today’s readers, especially women,” said Janet Kelhoffer, chair of the museum’s Programs Committee. “She is an inspiration to all, and gives a profound, personal glimpse into the Civil War era.”
Melissa Swindell, Executive Director of the museum, added that Carolyn Newton Curry was uniquely qualified to author the book about Thomas. “As the Founder and Director of the non-profit, ‘Women Alone Together,’ the recipient of numerous service awards, and with an impressive background in research and education, Curry has insights into Thomas’ life that make this book – and her presentation – even more interesting and compelling.”
Curry received a B.A. in English from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in History from Georgia State University in Atlanta. She has taught at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, and the Westminster Schools in Atlanta.
Curry has been awarded the Smith-Breckenridge YWCA Distinguished Woman of Achievement Award, the Georgia State University Distinguished Alumni Community Service Award, and the Agnes Scott College Distinguished Alumna Award – Service to the Community.
She and her husband, Bill Curry, former football coach, player, and ESPN football analyst, have two children and seven grandchildren.
