Margaret Fisher Hertel

Margaret ("Peggy") Fisher Hertel, was an American author, editor and community activist. The daughter of American Presbyterian missionaries in Iran, Mrs. Hertel had a deep knowledge of the divisions that continue to roil the Middle East; she fought for inter-religious and inter-racial tolerance at home and abroad. Born in Hamadan, Iran, the daughter of Commodore and Franke Fisher, Mrs. Hertel lived in that country until she was 16 years old, returning to attend the Northfield School for Girls in Massachusetts (today, Northfield Mount Hermon School) for her last two years of high school. From there, she went on to attend Maryville College in Tennessee, graduating in 1954 with a teaching degree. Mrs. Hertel moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1956 and taught in the Godwin Public Schools for several years. Thereafter, she was hired by Fideler Publishing Company, where she wrote and edited children's social studies textbooks for over two decades. In 1964, she married Philip Hertel. In addition to her career with Fideler Publishing, Mrs. Hertel later worked as an editor with Gateway Publishing and with Gemini Publications, the parent company of Grand Rapids Magazine.

Source: Metcalf & Jonkhoff