A steel magnolia is “a woman who exemplifies both traditional femininity as well as uncommon fortitude,” and here she is: Miss Margaret. Optimistic and resilient, she proves her strength of character, courage, and can-do mindset with every obstacle she confronts. Her husband’s oil company moves the family from country to country. In 1960 the Moores arrive as one of the first five American families in Benghazi, Libya. Miss Margaret inspires and encourages other oil company wives uprooted from their homeland through their forced integration into an Arab culture. She influences the other women to remain happy, with great expectations and few complaints. Firm in her code of ethics, code of conduct, and extraordinary diplomacy, Margaret continues her inspiring life after Libya, in Peru, England, and back to the United States Author Rebecca Newby celebrates and honors Miss Margaret’s life, sharing some of her mother’s beliefs and family history.

Rebecca (Becky) Moore Newby hails from Phoenix, Arizona. She is a graduate of The Hockaday School, Dallas, Texas, and Austin College, Sherman, Texas. Later she pursued graduate studies in English at University of Texas at Dallas. Life accomplishments for which she is especially proud include rearing her children, boy/girl twins, now adults; producing and directing TV shows for Community TV in Dallas; and owning and operating Sweet Touch, a commercial candy company in Richardson, Texas. An adventurer by nature, Rebecca has lived in Libya, Switzerland, Peru, and England. For 25 years she worked for American Airlines as both a Ground Services Instructor and a Flight Attendant. Her travel and life choices have taught her, and she’ll tell you, “There’s no one right way to do anything.” With her understanding of other cultures and appreciation for women’s strengths, she enjoys researching and promoting women. In Miss Margaret: A Southern Lady, she exuberantly shares snippets of her mother’s inspiring wisdom.