Dr. Mary Hilaire (aka Sally Lynne) Tavenner, is an author, educator and public speaker who has written and published eight books, dozens of articles for both newspapers and magazines. She has taught “about” 3,000 children and “about” 2,000 adults during her 46 years during her career as an educator.
Over the y.... more
Dr. Mary Hilaire (aka Sally Lynne) Tavenner, is an author, educator and public speaker who has written and published eight books, dozens of articles for both newspapers and magazines. She has taught “about” 3,000 children and “about” 2,000 adults during her 46 years during her career as an educator.
Over the years, Dr. T. has given several hundred talks outside of her classroom, speaking on a large variety of topics such as Helen Steiner Rice, St Elizabeth Ann Seton, Canonizations, Saints, Writing as a Process, Teaching…and topics too many to list. Her first speech was at Seton Hall College in front of 3,000 people at the age of 18. Television and radio interviews are also a part of her history.
Dr. Tavenner is a former Syracuse Franciscan nun---for nearly 20 years. She worked as a script consultant for a $3 million dollar docudrama, “A Time for Miracles” on the life of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, America’s first native-born canonized saint. The film was produced by ABC-TV and aired nationally in 1980. ABC flew (at that time), “Sister Mary Hilaire Tavenner” to Georgia where she was asked to teach the cast and crew about Mother Seton’s life. It was here where she met and became friends with Rosalyn Carter’s mother, Miss Allie Smith, who was like a grandmother to her for twenty years, until she died. In turn, Hilaire was befriended by both Rosalyn and Jimmy Carter, and have remained in touch since 1980.
Dr. T. has travelled extensively: to Italy 3 times, to Ireland for 3 weeks, to France several times, to Puerto Rico 3 times, to the Bahamas…Peru, Portugal, Spain, Canada, Mexico and throughout the United States. She attended the Canonization of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in, the Beatification of Mother Marianne of Molokai and the Canonization of Mother Teresa of Calcutta in 2016. Dr. T met St. Mother Teresa 4 times, and St. Pope John Paul the II, in Puerto Rico, acquainting with other well-known celebrities.
While serving as Director of Education for Sylvan Learning Center in Sheffield Lake for 3 years, she acquired the nick name “Doc”, and is still called this by some of her associates and students from Sylvan.
Hilaire Tavenner earned her liberal arts degree at Maria Regina College in Syracuse, NY; her Bachelor’s in education at Catholic University in Washington DC; her Master’s in religious studies at St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia, PA and her Doctorate in Reading and Language Arts from the University of Tampa, in Tampa, Florida.
As a direct result of nearly 25 years of effort, in her hometown of Lorain, OH, Dr. Tavenner, was the moving force in getting Helen Steiner Rice, a world famous writer from Lorain, OH, honored in Lorain by getting an elementary school named in Helen’s honor. Dr. Tavenner also obtained an Ohio Bicentennial Historical Mark placed at Lakeview Park in Helen’s honor. She paid $1,000.00 and obtained two $500.00 grants from Longaberger Baskets and the Ohio Historical Society in Columbus to pay for the Marker. Dr. T. composed the words on the marker. Helen was both born and is buried in Lorain.
20 years ago, Dr. T. and 3 others founded THE FRIENDS OF HELEN STEINER RICE which, after 7 years, morphed into the INTERNATIONAL WRITERS ASSOCIATION, and continues as their president. This society has about 65 members: most are local, about 5 are from other states and 15 are in other countries. The local IWA/FHSR members meet about 6 months at the Lorain Public Library.
Dr. Tavenner is a nationally and internationally known speaker whose expertise includes “church”, “education”, “self-publishing” and numerous other topics. Over 100 newspaper stories have been written about her. All of Dr. T’s books are available from amazon.com, dutchink.com, all over the internet, and from every bookseller, worldwide…when requested! To learn more, please visit her website: www.dutchink.com where you can listen to her 24 radio programs broadcasted around the world from November of 2018 until April of 2019. You can click on “Archives” on her home page to listen to her very popular speakers and topics. Dr. Tavenner’s books are here and are available after today’s presentation.
