Mimi LaFollette Summerskill
Encyclopedia
Miriam LaFollette "Mimi" Summerskill (June 2, 1917, Moscow, Idaho
-January 31, 2008, Belle Mead, New Jersey
) was an educator, author, political activist, and vineyard owner.
where her father was an attorney and politician and her mother was the daughter of the Congregational Church
missionary. She was educated in the local public schools. She studied the violin, was rodeo queen, and took lessons in elocution with Ida Lou Anderson
. She began college at nearby Washington State University
and graduated from Stanford University
where she played the violin in the college orchestra and was part of the Speakers' Bureau.
, broadcasting from Waikiki Beach in Hawaii
.
In the 1950s she worked on several programs in the early days of public television for KQED in San Francisco.
and Kenya
. She helped establish the theater at Athens College
in Greece.
, she founded LaFollette Vineyard in Belle Mead, New Jersey. They produced a Seyval Blanc
in the winery they built on their 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) vineyard just north of Princeton, New Jersey
. Their LaFollette brand was a local favorite and the annual grape harvest was featured in the November 15, 1989, issue of Wine Spectator
.
spent a day at the LaFollette Vineyard discussing political strategy with fourteen Democratic governors and their staffs.
. Her grandfather was Washington state Congressman William La Follette
, cousin of Wisconsin Senator Robert La Follette, Sr.. Indiana educator and Tennessee industrialist Harvey Marion LaFollette
was her great uncle. Her father was William Leroy LaFollette, Jr.
, Whitman County, Washington
prosecuting attorney and state legislator. The artist, Chester La Follette
was her uncle. Editor and writer Suzanne La Follette
was her aunt. Political leader Richard L. Wright
was her son.
Moscow, Idaho
Moscow is a city in northern Idaho, situated along the Washington/Idaho border. It is the most populous city and county seat of Latah County and the home of the University of Idaho, the land grant institution and primary research university for the state...
-January 31, 2008, Belle Mead, New Jersey
Belle Mead, New Jersey
Belle Mead is a census-designated place which straddles Montgomery Township and Hillsborough Township in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Up until about 1875, Belle Mead, then named Plainville, was part of Harlingen. It was a quiet farming region when about that time a New York City contractor named...
) was an educator, author, political activist, and vineyard owner.
Early Years and Education
Mimi was the eldest of four children. She grew up in Colfax, WashingtonColfax, Washington
Colfax is the county seat of Whitman County, Washington, United States.The population was 2,805 at the 2010 census.It is situated amidst wheat-covered hills in a valley at the confluence of the north and south forks of the Palouse River. U.S...
where her father was an attorney and politician and her mother was the daughter of the Congregational Church
Congregational church
Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing Congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its own affairs....
missionary. She was educated in the local public schools. She studied the violin, was rodeo queen, and took lessons in elocution with Ida Lou Anderson
Ida Lou Anderson
Ida Lou Anderson was a pioneer in the field of radio broadcasting. She was a professor at Washington State College in the 1920's and 1930's. One of Anderson's earliest and most impressive students was Edward R...
. She began college at nearby Washington State University
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
and graduated from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
where she played the violin in the college orchestra and was part of the Speakers' Bureau.
Media
In the pre World War II radio era she hosted her own show for NBCNBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, broadcasting from Waikiki Beach in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
In the 1950s she worked on several programs in the early days of public television for KQED in San Francisco.
Educator
A firm believer in learning through doing, she founded InterAlp, a program that sent American high school students abroad to live with local families in GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. She helped establish the theater at Athens College
Athens College
Athens College is a co-educational private independent school in Psychiko, Greece, a suburb of Athens, part of the Hellenic-American Educational Foundation which also includes Psychiko College, although both schools are usually referred to as "Athens College"...
in Greece.
Vintner
Along with her husband, John SummerskillJohn Summerskill
John Henry Summerskill was an educator who served as the seventh president of San Francisco State University in the 1960s. Prior to this he was Vice President for Student Affairs at Cornell University. In the 1970s he was named President of Athens College in Greece...
, she founded LaFollette Vineyard in Belle Mead, New Jersey. They produced a Seyval Blanc
Seyval Blanc
Seyval Blanc is a hybrid wine grape variety used to make white wines. Its vines ripen early, are productive and are suited to fairly cool climates.Seyval Blanc is grown mainly in England, and the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, as well as to a lesser extent in Canada...
in the winery they built on their 30 acres (121,405.8 m²) vineyard just north of Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. Their LaFollette brand was a local favorite and the annual grape harvest was featured in the November 15, 1989, issue of Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator is a lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertainment pieces...
.
Political activist
Mimi encouraged political dialogue and discussion. Politicians, policy makers, journalists, business people, artists and show business people discussed issues around her pool. During the 1992 presidential campaign, Bill ClintonBill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
spent a day at the LaFollette Vineyard discussing political strategy with fourteen Democratic governors and their staffs.
Author and writer
She authored four books:Aegean Summer, Seduced by a Greek Island, Daughter of the Vine, and The Land of Solomon and Sheba.Family
She was a member of the La Follette familyLa Follette family
The La Follette family is a family of politicians from the United States. Below is a list of members:*Robert M. La Follette, Sr. , District Attorney of Dane County, Wisconsin 1880-1884; U.S. Representative from Wisconsin 1885-1891; delegate to the Republican National Convention 1896, 1904; Governor...
. Her grandfather was Washington state Congressman William La Follette
William La Follette
William Leroy La Follette was a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Washington. He represented the 3rd District from 1911 to 1915, and the 4th District from 1915 to 1919....
, cousin of Wisconsin Senator Robert La Follette, Sr.. Indiana educator and Tennessee industrialist Harvey Marion LaFollette
Harvey Marion LaFollette
Harvey Marion LaFollette was an Indiana teacher and educator who, as a young man, served two terms as Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. He then moved to Tennessee where he established the town of LaFollette, Tennessee...
was her great uncle. Her father was William Leroy LaFollette, Jr.
William Leroy LaFollette, Jr.
William LeRoy "Roy" LaFollette Jr. was a political figure and lawyer. He served in the Washington House of Representatives in the State Legislature. He was elected Prosecuting Attorney of Whitman County several times...
, Whitman County, Washington
Whitman County, Washington
Whitman County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2010 census, the population was 44,776, with the majority living in its largest city, Pullman, home to Washington State University, the state's land-grant university. The county seat is at Colfax.Whitman County was...
prosecuting attorney and state legislator. The artist, Chester La Follette
Chester La Follette
Robert Chester La Follette, was an American painter. His portrait of his cousin Senator Robert M. La Follette, Sr. hangs in the Senate Reception Room of he United States Capitol...
was her uncle. Editor and writer Suzanne La Follette
Suzanne La Follette
Suzanne Clara La Follette was an American journalist and author who advocated for libertarian feminism in the first half of the 20th century. As an editor she helped found several magazines. She was an early and ardent feminist and a vocal anti communist.-Family:She was born in Washington state...
was her aunt. Political leader Richard L. Wright
Richard L. Wright
Richard LaFollette Wright is an American political leader who held a number of positions at both the state and national level. He served as Chief of Staff to the Governor of New Jersey in the Cabinet of Governor Jim Florio...
was her son.