Frances Copeland Stickles Family Papers, 1950-2009

Frances "Franghie" Virginia Copeland Stickles was born on March 3, 1929 in Portland, Oregon to Mary "Maysie" Deming Penrose Copeland and Paul Worthington Copeland. Maysie (1889-1996) grew up in Walla Walla, Washington as daughter of Stephen B.L. Penrose and Mary Shipman Penrose and graduated from Whitman College in 1919 with a major in Greek. Paul (1899-1971) served in the U.S. Navy during World World I and graduated from Whitman College in 1920. Maysie and Paul married in 1924 and had two children, Frances born in 1929 and Margaret "Peggy" Copeland (Corley) born in 1931. Paul spent most of his career teaching at Franklin High School in Seattle, Washington. From 1952 to 1956, Paul taught at Aleppo College in Syria. During this time Mary's brother, Stephen B.L. Penrose, Jr., was president at the American University in Beirut, Lebanon.

Frances graduated from Whitman College in 1950 with a major in philosophy. Upon her graduation, Frances taught at the American Community School (ACS) in Beirut, Lebanon from 1950-1953 and served as the school's librarian from 1954-1956. From 1953-1954, she earned her masters in library science from the University of Washington. While at ACS, Frances implemented a pen-pal program for her fifth grade students with students at an elementary school in Seattle, Washington. In 1957, Frances married Milton John "Jack" Stickles, Jr. (1929-2014) in Seattle, Washington. Jack was a maritime lawyer for the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command. Frances and Jack lived in the greater Washington D.C. area (in Chevy Chase, Maryland) beginning in 1959, except when Jack was briefly posted overseas. They lived in London, England from 1963 to 1965 and in Bremerhaven, Germany from 1965 to 1966. Frances and Jack had two children, Mary born in 1962 and James born in 1964. During her life, Frances was active in both national and international causes, notably a champion of Palestinian rights and involved in the YWCA, and authored four books. She also worked as a private art conservator and framer of textiles and prints. Frances lived in Chevy Chase, Maryland until her death on January 9, 2018.