Patricia Hill Burnett has led an extraordinary life. She was Miss Michigan in 1942 and first runner-up to Miss America that year. She also played the female lead for five years in The Lone Ranger and Green Hornet radio shows. In 1969, Patricia demonstrated her commitment to the women’s movement by founding the first chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) in Michigan,...

“The average citizen must be a good citizen if our republics are to succeed. The stream will not permanently rise higher than the main source; and the main source of national power and national greatness is found in the average citizenship of the nation. Therefore it behooves us to do our best to see that the standard of the average...

Growing up in the ’50s and ’60s citizenship was a practical part of daily life. I remember standing up, with the rest of my classroom, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.  I remember the “proper” way to sit at my desk:  sit-up straight, hands folded, feet flat on the floor.  Be prompt, attentive, be studious, do not waste paper or...