About the Authors
Mary Anne Hamilton has often heard: “Your life sounds unbelievable. You should write a book.” Her late husband, Laurens Morgan Hamilton, was an heir to Founding Father Alexander Hamilton and global financier, J. P. Morgan. Laurens had tried unsuccessfully for over 60 years to educate everyone about his great-great-grandfather’s contributions to the USA.
After seeing Hamilton, An American Musical, Mary Anne realized the impact of her family’s heritage. She met Rand Scholet, founder and then-president of The Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society. Beginning in 2017, they promoted Hamilton’s incredible legacy by sharing educational presentations locally, nationally, and internationally. In 2020, Covid 19 restrictions confined her to her home and her neighborhood park. Mary Anne began writing her memories and reviewing collections from the first 86 years of her life.
Rand then suggested that Mary Anne collaborate with a fellow AHA Society member, Helena Reynolds, to create a book based on her memories and activities. In addition to entertaining, inspiring, and educating readers, this book was written to extend appreciation to Lin-Manuel Miranda for creating the ingenious production, Hamilton, An American Musical. He, Rand, and others helped Mary Anne continue her late husband’s educational efforts to promote Alexander Hamilton’s legacy.
Rand Scholet, Mary Anne Hamilton, and Helena Reynolds
Bradenton, Florida ~ 2019
Helena Reynolds wrote her first book decades ago in an attempt to be a work-at-home mom. Critics said her book was unmarketable and that she should tear out a few family stories to sell as articles. So she did. (Two articles.)
Subsequently, she spent the next 45 years as an assistant teacher and recreation coordinator, as well as a wife, mother, and wannabe writer. She wrote intervention plans, marketing items, memos, articles, and press releases.
For the past 40 years, Helena has been recording the life stories of her Filipino immigrant family for a memory book. She even produced a highlight video of her parents’ unique, WWII, five-year, unconventional pen-pal romance, involving 17 years and 7,000 miles between them.
Recently retired, she completed the 2021 and 2022 sessions of #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Karen Kingsbury’s Believe Writing Intensives near Nashville. She also accepted the challenge of co-authoring a book for her friend, Rand Scholet, of The AHA Society. He had read and shared her family’s stories with his colleagues, including their mutual friend, Mary Anne Hamilton. Although Helena is a novice, he insisted she work with Mary Anne to share her recollections in a book. Shortly afterward, Rand suddenly passed away. This project honors his request.
Helena is passionate about telling life stories, especially those involving education about Founding Father Alexander Hamilton’s contributions to the creation, foundation, and maturation of our great nation. She is honored to help share Mary Anne’s incredible lifetime memories.