ABSTRACT
206 207Trinh (1989, p. 150) urges us to value the stories grandmothers tell us. My grandmother, Leota Bell Johnston Townsley (1891–1975) was a tiny woman. She was a graduate of the Iowa City Academy, a college preparatory school for those intending to attend the University of Iowa. In a 1912 photo she comes off the page, sparkling eyes, short dark curly hair frames her smiling face. She is wearing a high-necked lace bodice and a long formal skirt, a wide belt around her waist. She is holding a small dress purse. Her legs are crossed. She is smiling at the cameraman.
