Scandal & intrigue highlight the launch of ‘The Maid and the Socialite: The Brave Women Behind the Scandalous Minahan Trials’

The Minahan family was prominent in the Green Bay area. But in Lynda Drew’s new book, The Maid and the Socialite: Brave Women on Trial, readers learn the little known account of two local Green Bay women, Mary Cenefelt and Mollie Bertles. Both women, one an illiterate maid and the other a college-educated socialite, suffered physical violence and mental abuse at the hands of Dr. John R. Minahan, an influential member of a prominent Green Bay family.

Part of the Stories From the Archives, program series, the event highlights individuals who have grounded their research in documents at the UW-Green Bay Archives.  In observation of Women’s History Month, local author Lynda Drews will describe how she uncovered details of these stories from within the collections of UW-Green Bay’s Archives Department, bringing to life the forgotten histories of these two women in her new book, The Maid and the Socialite: The Brave Women Behind the Scandalous Minahan Trials.

The free event is scheduled for March 23 in the Christie Theatre, UW-Green Bay University Union, from 5 – 6:30 p.m. The book will be available for purchase at the event. For additional event details and parking information, please review this flyer Brave Women on Trial Flyer.