October 30, 2018
PUBLISHER’S CORNER
By Eloise Graham
Twirling, Dancing Leaves
I recently had a new acquaintance share her poem that she had penned in calligraphy. The more I talked with her the more I became aware that this was someone all of my readers should know. Let me introduce you to Leona (Beyer) Farley.
One windy autumn day, in the early 1990’s, Leona was walking down a sidewalk with a lot on her mind. She looked up and saw leaves falling, twirling to the ground. She wondered what it would be like to be a free falling leaf, just twirling and dancing through the air. So she penned the little poem. Leona uses the pen name of Lea for her poems and haikus. She chooses to write her craft in the art form of calligraphy. She has taken several instructional classes in calligraphy but finds that a lot of what she knows is self-taught and with a lot of practice and patience.
Now a little bit about Leona
While in high school in Mt. Carrol, IL, Leona got a job with the local newspaper. After high school, she moved to Davenport. During the next few years, she worked at the Davenport newspaper, known at that time as the Davenport Democrat and Leader. She married and started a new life as wife to John and then mother to two sons, John Jr. and Michael. This new life took the family to St. Paul around 1955 and then on to Milford, Ohio in 1963. Milford is adjacent to Cincinnati. Leona went to work for a newspaper in Milford as managing editor. She was quite an asset to the community.
In 1973 she was named The First Lady of Milford Frontier Days, a recognition given by the Chamber of Commerce. Then she received the awards of Who’s Who of American Women 9th Edition 1975/1976 and Who’s Who of Centennial Women 1976/1977 both presented by The Marquis Who’s Who Publications Board.
By 1984, the boys were grown and on their own. Leona and John moved back to the area, to Eldridge. Leona, enjoying her retirement, practiced the graceful strokes of calligraphy, wrote her poetry, and enjoyed gardening.
Leona now lives at Ridgecrest still enjoying calligraphy, poetry, and mini-gardening. She has an attractive collection of plants complete with a small waterfall in her living room. She also enjoys a cup of coffee and conversation with friends.
