Caroline (Clark) Myers

Caroline Elizabeth Clark Myers was born July 14, 1887, in Morris, Pennsylvania. Caroline was the daughter of Charles Edgar Clark and Elizabeth Boyd. She grew up in small-town Pennsylvania, namely in a farming town called Boyds Mills, where she would later live and retire. She graduated from Bloomsburg State College in 1905, continued her education at Ursinus College from 1907 to 1908, and then studied at Juniata College from 1912 to 1913. She was a member of the National Council on Family Relations, as she was very much involved in assisting families with educating and understanding their children. Throughout her career as a family life specialist, Caroline Myers taught at the University of Washington, Oregon State College, and Western Reserve University.

Caroline Myers met Dr. Garry Cleveland (G.C.) Myers while they were both studying at Ursinus College, and they eventually married on June 26, 1912. When Garry Myers began teaching illiterate soldiers to read during World War I, he asked Caroline to join him, making her the first female teacher in the U.S. Army. This would be the first of many collaborative efforts.

They began their family after the end of World War I, living in Cleveland, Ohio, but spending much of their time in Boyds Mills. During this time, Caroline conducted parenting classes in the community of Wayne county, helping parents connect with and understand the development of their children. Perhaps the reason that the advice given by the Myers team was so useful and inspiring was because their knowledge did not come solely from earning a degree, but also from first-hand experience in raising their three children: Jack, Garry Jr., and Elizabeth.

The pair composed several books aimed at parents of children who were struggling with their academics. These books taught parents about what their children were feeling and how they could change these attitudes. During this time, Caroline also received a scholarship from the Merill-Palmer Institute, which she attended from 1930 to 1931 while her husband, in a progressive move for the time, took over most of the childcare duties at home. She later attended Columbia University from 1931 to 1934 for summer classes.

From 1941 to 1946, the Myers family traveled throughout the United States speaking to classroom children, teachers, and parents. At the time they were both working for Children's Activities, a children’s entertainment magazine. It was during these travels that Highlights for Children was born, as the pair began to talk about what Children’s Activities ought to do differently. After their retirement, the Myers couple founded Highlights for Children in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, in June 1946. This was not just a magazine for children; their publication’s focus was on moral education, rather than solely academic education, something very uncommon for the time.

As the Highlights magazine slowly became a reality, its headquarters were initially set up in Honesdale, a town near Boyds Mills, then later moved to Columbus, Ohio. This business venture was not an immediate success; in 1949, the company was so close to failure that Caroline, Garry Myers, some of their children, and even some of their employees personally invested in Highlights to keep it afloat. Garry Jr. was particularly inspired by the magazine and worked in tandem with his mother and father to find new streams of revenue and advertisement. Even as their business became successful, and even after Garry Jr. and Mary’s tragic death in a plane crash in December 1960, the Myers family remained involved in all aspects of the business, with Caroline working primarily as managing editor, and later as chairperson of its board of directors after her husband’s death in 1971.

Caroline remained largely involved in Highlights for Children until her death on July 3, 1980, at the age of 93.

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