Edith May Babcock
Writer, environmentalist, adventurer, and feminist
Edith May Babcock came into the world February 21, 1926, almost born in the back seat of her parents Model T after a harrowing 66-mile drive through a West Texas ice storm from Sonora to San Angelo. She arrived one month early, weighing a mere five pounds but with a full head of black hair. Edith’s birth was somewhat of a surprise to the family. Both her mother and father were almost 41 years old. Her sister Gertrude and brother Kenneth were considerably older, so for much of her childhood she felt like an only child. Yet, Edith was spoiled with love. And as her mother frequently said, Edith kept her young at heart.
She loved the community, the friends, and teachers where she grew up, writing extensively about those early years in Sonora. It was always the place that felt like home. As she said, “My community was warm and nurturing. It wasn’t a perfect one, but I learned about life and lived it. We are shaped by where we grow up.”
Here's a bit more about Edith's life:
Graduating from high school in 1943, she followed her sister’s footsteps and attended what is now Texas Woman’s University. Edith earned her degree in journalism in three short years, then married her sweetheart, a Texas Aggie named Robert Hutson Kokernot. Robert would go on to get both a degree in veterinary medicine as well as a medical degree. He secured a position with The Rockefeller Foundation which led to travels around the world. Their adventure had begun! Off they and their two young daughters departed in 1954 for South Africa where they lived for the next seven years. Edith chronicled their life in this exotic land through letters, stories, and diaries. “Africa was all I had dreamed and hoped for. I was young and impressionable and will never forget it. In the game preserve lions strolled past our car, grunting. Elephants were thrilling and so were the herds of wildebeests running by.” While busy raising two girls and a son born in Johannesburg, she always made time to write. It was the journalist in her.
Upon returning to the United States in 1961 a third daughter was born while Robert pursued his doctorate degree in Public Health. An additional two years abroad in Cali, Colombia followed before returning stateside.
Unfortunately, Edith found herself single in the early 1970’s. “After twenty-five years of marriage which had recently ended in divorce, I was still in the process of raising children, with one in grade school, one in high school and two in college. I was, of course, thankful to have them, and due to that responsibility, my life had a purpose and meaning which it might not have had during this crisis." Her son, Walter remembers that difficult time. “She held the family together when Dad left. It was an impressive display of courage. Though she wasn’t afraid to share her fear or sadness, she always made those displays calmly, so I never felt things were entirely out of control.”
A new chapter in Edith’s life had begun. She was still the loyal, kind, smart, adventure-seeking person she had always been, but now, in her newly found independence, she could make a difference in people’s lives beyond her family circle. Working for the Institute of International Education, she opened doors for many students coming to the United States from abroad. She was involved with Planned Parenthood, the Sierra Club, Al-Anon, the Women’s Movement and even Girl Scouts. Edith hiked across the Grand Canyon, ran one of the fastest USA recorded times for the grueling 26-mile marathon in her age group and even became a certified scuba diver where, on one journey, raced a nurse shark to the surface!
Sharing Edith’s life story has given us the opportunity to convey the beauty of this inspirational and adventurous woman, our mother. She lived life generously and lovingly.
It is our hope that by introducing you to Edith’s voice, through her written works, experiences, and choices, you will be inspired and motivated to reflect and gain a deeper perspective of your own life, thereby reaffirming who you are. Because every choice you make, makes the YOU that you are.
Edith May Babcock passed away on June 14, 2020, at the age of ninety-four. Her loss is immeasurable but so is the love she left behind.