Shirley Pyron

March is dedicated as Women's History Month, but history never goes out of style for Shirley Pyron.

She can trace her roots back to an ancestor who arrived in America in 1608, and other ancestors were involved in establishing a government in Carroll County.

Shirley was born in the Rudd community, and spent almost her entire life here. She was supporting herself by the age of 13, and eventually became an accountant.

"I was sort of an insecure waif, and didn't find myself until I had my own family and got into the workforce," Shirley said. Although she had technical training for her position, she only made a dollar an hour. Boys hired for summer jobs at the company were often paid more, even after years of experience.

"Women have progressed," she said, in an understatement. She retired in 1980, and has been busier than ever since then.

"I'm sort of a professional volunteer," Shirley said, before listing some of her many involvements. She is a charter member and past president of the hospital auxiliary, with almost 40 years of service. She has held chapter, district, and state offices with the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Shirley is best known for her interest in history. She has been a member of the Historical Society for 30 years, and served as president of the society for 12 years. She still edits the Historical Quarterly, the society's regular publication.

Her interest in history had an almost accidental beginning. "It was sort of at the prompting of Klute Braswell and Coy Logan," Shirley explained. "Coy used to bring stuff to my office and I would type it up for the Quarterly." She later discovered that she and Logan were both descendants of the Newberry family, and Shirley said, "He sort of nudged me along into genealogy."

Those pursuits became almost an obsession. "Once you get into genealogy, you never get over it," Shirley said. "I have found some really interesting characters." As with most families, the family tree includes both good and bad apples.

"They were human," Shirley said, and she does not try to gloss over imperfections. "I tell it like it is. I even found one ancestor who fought with the north." With a laugh, she admits, "I left him out for a number of years, but I finally recognized him."

Some distant relatives were part of the Mountain Meadows Massacre in Utah, and Shirley became deeply involved in bringing that story to light. She was invited to serve on the board of the Mountain Meadows Association, and was president and chairman of that national organization.

Shirley saves her own flower seeds from year to year, and she also likes painting and crossword puzzles. Not many people know how much she enjoys carpentry and masonry.

She and her husband Jewell bricked the exterior of their house, and Shirley said, "I laid every rock in our fireplace." Some of those hearth stones were saved for her from the Newberry cabin when it was moved to Pioneer Park in Berryville.

History is more than a hobby for her. "Children today do not know their history. To know where they're going, they have to know where they've been."

Shirley and Jewell have a son who lives in Branson, and two grandchildren.