On the day that Terry Ryan popped into our studios for a live interview to discuss her book "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less" she was not alone. She brought along an entourage. When Terry went out on book tour she had a number of family members who had come to take part in the fun as they were honoring a mother who had used her imagination and persistence to keep a family of ten children with a roof over their heads and food on the table. It had not been an easy task for their mom. As I looked out into the station lobby during the interview it was fairly amazing to see all their smiling faces peering back at me as we talked.
This inspirational tale caught the attention of Hollywood as the book was turned into a movie. It was such a pleasure to meet the late Terry Ryan. Hearing her recite the commercial jingles her mom created surely caused a few driveway moments across the Miami Valley on that day 18 years ago. We cannot get out of the car yet, they are doing the Tootsie Roll jingle!
The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library.
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