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Women’s History Month (March) is a time to reflect on the strength, courage, and resilience of the women who have shaped our lives.
For me, this celebration is deeply personal. I grew up under the influence of a strong and pioneering woman, my mother, Dorothy Thomson. Well-known in the Coral Gables community, she made history as the first and only female mayor of Coral Gables in its first 100 years.
But her strength was not limited to her public service — she was equally remarkable in the privacy of our home, raising four children while championing civic activism. From her, I learned the power of boldness and the importance of going the extra mile for a cause worth fighting for. She showed me that great value comes from commitment to one’s community and standing up for what is right.
Another powerful force in my life was my grandmother, Lucy Mae Thomson. Her story is one of courage and adventure. At the young age of 19, she embarked on a solo journey from Indiana to Florida via Flagler’s East Coast Railway to meet up with a man she had met only once before. In 1924, such a journey for an unmarried woman carried great risk to her reputation, but Lucy Mae was undeterred. Fortunately, my grandfather proved to be an honorable man, and their love story flourished.
Upon her arrival in Miami, Lucy Mae dropped the “Mae” and transformed herself. She cut her hair into a fashionable bob, updated her wardrobe, and became an active figure in the city’s social scene with frequent mentions in society columns. Beyond her social engagements, she made significant contributions to her community, founding four churches in the area throughout her lifetime.
She and my grandfather, Robert Thomson, spent most of their married life in Coral Gables, where they became acquainted with the city’s legendary founder, George Merrick. A treasured family photograph captures them in 1925, posing in front of a fountain at the corner of Granada Boulevard and Coral Way — an almost poetic prelude to the fact that, nearly 100 years later, their granddaughter would live just up the street. Recently, my husband and I recreated the photo mimicking their stance and facial expressions.
Generational courage seems to be a hallmark of the women in my family. Just as my grandmother ventured out alone by train, my mother made her own journey by car at the age of 20, driving down from upstate New York to start a new life in Florida.
And while my path took me in a different direction — out west to spend more than 20 years as a television news reporter — I always felt the pull to return to Coral Gables. In 2010, I finally made my way back home.
It was during the stillness of the pandemic that I found time to reflect on and write about my grandparents’ move to Florida during the Great Florida Land Boom of 1925. Their first year in Miami was marked by immense challenges: economic collapse, the devastating hurricane of 1926, and the trials of building a new life in an unfamiliar place. Yet, they endured.
Their resilience laid the foundation for a family that remains deeply rooted in the Coral Gables community to this day. The play about their lives here is called, Greetings from Paradise. It also features George Merrick and Carl Fisher, the two visionaries who built South Florida, and debuts at Miracle Theatre on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables Apr. 29-May 3.
Women’s History Month reminds us to honor the women who paved the way before us. I am forever grateful for the legacy of strength, determination, and perseverance that my mother and grandmother passed down to me. Their stories serve as a testament to the boundless courage of women who dare to step into the unknown, chase their dreams, and leave an indelible mark on the world.
About Greetings from Paradise
Greetings from Paradise is a true love story written by June Thomson Morris for the Coral Gables Centennial Celebration, Apr. 29-May 2, to be performed at Actors’ Playhouse at Miracle Theater: 280 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables, FL 33134. Book your reservation for Opening Night Dinner Theater through the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce calendar at www.coralgableschamber.org. Book tickets for Wednesday-Saturday performances — single tickets available at actorsplayhouse.org or 305-444-9293. Group rates available for 10 people or more.
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