Jean Foley Doyle, a lifelong resident of Newburyport, Massachusetts, is the mother of seven and grandmother of eleven children. She graduated from Newburyport High School (NHS) in 1947 and joined the ranks of her peers who married young and started their families after World War II, thus contributing to the baby boomer generations. She stayed at home for the next nineteen years. Finally able to achieve her dream of a college education, she graduated summa cum laude from Merrimack College in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in history. In 1972, she earned her master's degree in history from the University of New Hampshire. Returning to her alma mater, Jean taught history and international relations for thirty years until her retirement in 1999. While teaching at NHS, Jean was responsible for implementing the highly successful community service program which allowed hundreds of students to get to know and contribute to the Newburyport community. Some of the interviews in Life in Newburyport were a result of encouraging students to go out and learn about their parents and grandparents and many other residents who helped make this seaside city a unique place to call home. An avid gardener, she lives with her husband in Newbury, Massachusetts.
Life in Newburyport: 1900-1950
Life in Newburyport 1950-1985 The years 1950-1985 were, in many ways, the most tumultuous years in Newburyport's history. This follow-up to Life in Newburyport, Book I, chronicles the city's struggle as it rises from its designation as a distressed area to achieve the role of a "model city."