This is the edited story of Opal W. Fitzgerald, told in her own words as found in her handwritten autobiographical journals. It is also a complete collection of her poetry, both secular and spiritual. Born in 1909 into a working family in her beloved West Virginia, Fitzgerald moved to Pennsylvania in 1931, where she spent most of her remaining 72 years. Although her formal education was very limited, she began developing her talents as a writer from an early age. Her life story, set against the backdrop of three major wars, the 1918 influenza pandemic, and the Great Depression, was punctuated by personal hardships. Yet, her written works are engaging, entertaining, and inspiring. Readers will find strength and hope in her honest portrayal of the events in her life and will appreciate the extraordinary literary skills of an ordinary woman who shares her life, her faith, and her personal collection of poetry in this book. The majority of Fitzgerald's writings have never before been published. This book, therefore, introduces a previously unknown but highly deserving writer for the first time. It should be of interest, not only to the casual reader, but also to scholars, teachers, and students of the literary arts, for whom Fitzgerald will be a new discovery.
About the Author: R. L. PALMER, Ph.D. Dr. Palmer, raised in Pennsylvania and New York state, served four years with the U.S. Air Force. He received a Ph.D. degree in educational psychology from The University of Texas at Austin in 1976. As a Senior Research Psychologist with the Department of Defense (Army Research Laboratory), he conducted many studies in the areas of ergonomics and human factors, authoring numerous research papers and receiving a number of government citations and awards, among them the Superior Civil Service Award. He retired in 1995. Palmer is also a writer of poetry and narratives. As of this writing, a complete collection of his works dating back to 1958, entitled The Difference Between a Duck, is being prepared for publication. In addition, Palmer has for many years indulged in his hobby of photography. His images have appeared in local publications and decorated billboards and restaurant walls. They have received several awards. Palmer also collaborated in a six-year project in which his wife Cristina Casas Palmer, Ph.D. researched the history of ballet in El Paso, Texas-once a mecca for that art form in the southwest. She wrote and published a scholarly history entitled For Love of Dance-The Early Years of the UTEP Ballet. He contributed editing assistance, image restoration, page layout, and cover design services. The current book, The Life Story & Collected Works of Opal. W. Fitzgerald, was first conceived in the mid-1990s, when Fitzgerald was about 86. Allowed the privilege of examining some of her (mostly unpublished) works, Palmer recognized that Fitzgerald and her writings deserved a niche in literary history, and he suggested that she compile her works into book form. She agreed but was unable to carry out the project, succumbing shortly thereafter to Alzheimer's disease. It was not until 2013 that Palmer, working through Fitzgerald's granddaughter, was able to collect, assemble, and edit Fitzgerald's works, which included a long journal detailing her life story. The resulting book contains Fitzgerald's story along with all of her poetry known to exist today.