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❙ FOREWORD ❙ ❙ vii ❙ No! Frances Martin, the name by which I knew Frances Nunnery when I lived in Taos, does not fit into the category of “They don’t make them like that any more.” They never did—not in the 2000s, the 1900s, or any other century. A lot of great women have lived in the West, and I knew personally some of those who were born here in New Mexico or came and stayed to contribute mightily. I was acquainted with Mabel Dodge Luhan, the Taos arts doyenne; Fern Sawyer, the Hall of Fame cowgirl; Mildred Clark (Madame Millie) Cusey; and countless others who remain mostly unknown. Frances was not like any of them. She was unique. We are so very lucky that Cecil Dawkins met Frances in the late 1960s when Frances was a highly successful Taos realtor. The resulting friendship led to this wonderful portrait of Frances’s courage, skill, and wit, almost beyond belief except to those who knew her. We who had the privilege of knowing Frances will recognize that in telling her story to Cecil Dawkins she often downplayed her splendiferous achievements. We can now share the ninety-nine-year journey of her adventurous life, from her birth in Covington, Kentucky, to her childhood on ❙ FOREWORD ❙ a Virginia tobacco farm, to her first bad marriage with a man thrust on her by her mother and her successful getaway from him in Colorado, and on to Albuquerque with a nine-month-old baby. There she fought her way into prominence and profit in assorted businesses. One of them eventually led to the founding of the giant UPS—United Parcel Service. Frances became a successful rancher and later an entrepreneur in the Magdalena/Datil area. Her down-home, down-in-the-mud, upon -the-mountain experiences with cattle, horses, hogs, and all the wild and domesticated animals it takes to survive in a harsh and lonely environment are as educational as they are soul building to those readers who admire pure spunk and natural wit and wisdom. Find how Frances “does in” a persistently challenging neighborrancher who, taking advantage of her gender and generosity, started out stealing her grass and moved on to stealing her animals. See Frances as a deputy sheriff when she handles a deadly situation with great finesse. Join in and root for her as she rebuilds and runs the Navajo Lodge in Datil and turns it into a nightclub where she does her own singing for the enthusiastic customers. Ride with her as she drives heavy rigs hauling cattle for ranchers over great and dangerous distances, accepting it all with good humor. Frances Nunnery Martin’s story is one to be savored. It has been said that she seldom shared her inner feelings, but this strong woman didn’t need to: her actions told everything. They were there for all to see and to absorb in awe. She was a woman to relish . You will find much more in her story than I can describe in this foreword. Read her story and tell your closest friends. You will have done them a special favor. Max Evans Albuquerque, New Mexico Author of Madame Millie, Bluefeather Fellini, The Hi Lo Country, and The Rounders. viii ...

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