“Edith: the Rogue Rockefeller McCormick”
A presentation by Andrea Friederici Ross

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT

Thursday, March 9, 2023, at 7 pm
In-person event
At the Evanston History Center
225 Greenwood St, Evanston, IL
Seating is limited. Registration Required.
See below for tickets and registration info
Admission: $10, Free for EHC members

Celebrate Women’s History Month with us! Join us for an in-person presentation by Andrea Friederici Ross, Author of Edith: the Rogue Rockefeller McCormick, the first biography of a woman who once played a prominent role in Chicago society. The daughter of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, Edith (1872-1932) married into the wealthy McCormick family and was once estimated to be the nation’s richest woman. Edith served as a powerful patron of the arts and sciences, supporting causes such as free health care for the poor and founding the John R. McCormick Memorial Insitute for infectious Diseases. She also donated land for what would become Brookfield Zoo. After her death in 1932, however, her voice was “deliberately erased,” says Ross. Edith’s interests, her work, and her support for good causes ran parallel to her own struggles with the limits on her freedom, social pressures, and mental illness. Ross will discuss the life of this fascinating woman and Ross’ own process of writing Edith: the Rogue Rockefeller McCormick, which was named the 2021 Chicago Writers Association Book of the Year in Traditional Nonfiction.

The presentation will be followed by a book signing. Thanks to our partner, Bookends & Beginnings for making this signing possible!

Andrea Friederici Ross is the author of Let the Lions Roar! The Evolution of Brookfield Zoo. A native of the Chicago area and a graduate of Northwestern University, Ross works in a grade school library, where she encourages young readers to develop a lasting love of books. She has been published in Fine Books, Mother, Sheridan Road, Chicago Agent, Hinsdale Living, and other magazines. Her essays can also be found on the Center for Humans and Nature blog and their “City Creatures” anthology. Her career has been unconventional, including stints as the Operations Manager of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and as Assistant to the Director of the Chicago Zoological Society.

Questions about the event? Please email Jenny Thompson: jthompson@evanstonhistorycenter.org

Ticketing

THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT

Registration is required.
Admission: $10 (payable online below.) EHC members are free. (Please use “RSVP” option to reserve your EHC member ticket.)
If you would like to become an EHC member, click here to buy a membership, and then you can RSVP for the event for free.

There are two ticket options below, Member Ticket and Non-Member Ticket. There are 65 total tickets.
Tickets are non-refundable.

A registration confirmation email will be sent to the email you registered with.
If you do not receive a confirmation email, please email Erin Hughes at ehughes@evanstonhistorycenter.org.