Virginia Ruth Waggoner-Rackley
Born: December 4, 1925 in Mattoon, Illinois
Died: February 7, 2013 in Gilman, Illinois Pen Name: None Connection to Illinois: Waggoner Rackley was born in Mattoon and lived in Illinois most of her life. Biography: Virginia Rackley was born in central Illinois, the third child of 12 and the eldest daughter. She learned early that an industrious nature and a cheerful outlook were essential to her survival. At the age of fifteen, she watched her family shatter, and she was suddenly, in 1942, separated from her siblings. She would work to reconnect with her family, and, in large measure, succeeded. In 1997, she coauthored ''Ten Sisters: A True Story'' and later, ''Ten Little Sisters''. She continues to live with her family in central Illinois. She is featured in the award-winning PBS short documentary on the Ten Sisters (Prairie Fire - PBS WILL) which won a Gracie Allen Award in 2004. She is featured in a full-length PBS documentary, Ten Sisters: A True Story. The story of the Ten Sisters was also featured in Family Circle Magazine, and three newspaper articles about the ten sisters won awards for journalism.
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