Grace Muriel Earhart Morrissey

Grace Muriel Earhart Morrissey (December 29, 1899 – March 2, 1998), the younger sister of aviator Amelia Earhart, was a high school teacher, author, and activist. After her sister disappeared on a flight across the Pacific in 1937, Earhart spent decades biographing Amelia's life and managing her legacy. Earhart also taught at the high schools in Medford and Belmont, MA, and she remained an active member of the Medford community until her death. Earhart was born in Kansas City on December 29, 1899, two years after her sister Amelia, to parents Edwin and Amy Earhart. The sisters had a turbulent childhood, filled with trips back and forth between their grandparents’ house in Atchison, KS and their parents’ home in Kansas City. Earhart's father was an alcoholic. Earhart was close with Amelia, and the two loved playing outdoor games, sledding, and spending time with animals. Both sisters relocated to the Boston area after they grew up, and Earhart spent most of her life in Medford, MA. She married Albert Morrissey, a World War I veteran, in 1929. They had two children. Earhart attended Smith College and received a degree from Radcliffe College in 1960. Additionally, she studied at Saint Margaret's School in Toronto, where in 1917 she was visited by Amelia who decided to stay to help with the war effort, and got a job at the Spadina Military Hospital. While in Toronto, Amelia and Muriel were surrounded by pilots, as the city was "the undeclared capital of flying in the British Empire." It has been said that Amelia fell in love with flying. "The interest aroused in me in Toronto led me to all the air circuses in the vicinity," Amelia once told reporters. After Amelia Earhart's 1937 disappearance, Muriel Earhart's life took on a new dimension. Earhart devoted significant time to coordinating Amelia's posthumous affairs, setting up donations, marshalling information, and dealing with Amelia's fans. She corresponded with museums, aviation clubs, the U.S. Air Force, and Eleanor Roosevelt.