Marian Tally Simmons BrownI am a Fayetteville native. I attended Newbold Training School, Orange Street School, and graduated from E.E. Smith High School. My parents were not professionals, but were working class; however, they got it in their heads to send their only child t the most prestigious private college for Black women: Bennett College, in Greensboro, North Carolina. I took up the challenge and continued my education, receiving both M.M.E. and D.M.E. degrees from Indiana University, in Bloomington. During my graduate years at Indiana I began researching Black culture and the Black aesthetic. For twenty years I was Professor of Fine Arts at Florida State College, Jacksonville, Florida. My parents had sacrificed so much for me; my love and loyalty drew me back to Fayetteville in 1992 to be their caretaker. My father was going blind and my mother developing Alzheimer's. From this difficult time I wrote the book: "Grandma has Alzheimer's but it's O.K." After their deaths, I became more involved in the Fayetteville community. I received an 'Artists in the Schools' grant from the Arts Council, to introduce a program that traced the history of African American music. I spoke on panels; organized seminars; and facilitated workshops about the Black experience, Empowering women through Arts & Culture, Memories of College Heights & E.E. Smith High, and Alzheimer's. Read More Read Less