Francie Garber Pepper

Francie Garber Pepper is a fifth-generation Cincinnatian who has dedicated her life to advocacy for women's rights, children, and volunteerism while raising four children, hosting numerous exchange students, and nurturing the growth of her ten gradchildren.

She graduated from Smith College in 1962 with a degree in Spanish, she spent her junior year in Spain, and she won a prize from the Spanish Embassy in Washington for the best essay in Spanish. She later worked as an executive assistant and translator/interpreter in the legal department of an international company which brought her back to her beloved Spain.

She and her husband, John, were married in 1967. Together with their four children, they made five international moves starting in Rome in 1974 followed by two tours in Belgium. Her experiences, challenges, joys, and cultural immersion in Italy during the years 1974-1977 leap from her candid letters which she wrote on almost a daily basis to her parents and family at home.