Palmyra Native Publishes Memoir Reflecting on Small-Town Roots
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By Ella Aguilar
Palmyra native Delores “Deedee” Swigert Sullivan, a graduate of the Class of 1969, has released her debut memoir A Good Place to Live: A Girl Comes of Age in Rural Missouri, now available on Amazon. The book, which is already gaining attention among readers, explores Sullivan’s formative years growing up in Palmyra and the ways the community shaped her values, resilience, and outlook on life.
Sullivan, who now resides on the Oregon Coast, said the inspiration for her memoir came from a desire to record her childhood experiences for her children and grandchildren. But her purpose soon grew beyond family storytelling.
“I wanted to tell the stories about the people I met and knew in Palmyra that influenced my core value system and basic personality. They were interesting human life stories,” Sullivan said. The title of her book, she explained, was inspired by the sign that once welcomed visitors to Palmyra—“A Good Place to Live.” For Sullivan, that phrase continues to represent both the stability she longed for as a child and the kindness of the townspeople who gave her a sense of home.“Palmyra was my essential foundational home. It taught me about life and gave me the confidence to move forward and overcome adversity,” she said. Raised in a musically rich environment—her parents were entertainers in the Tri-State Region—Sullivan’s childhood was filled with instruments, performers, and creativity. At the same time, she recalled the unique character of small-town life in the 1960s.
“You could feel safe in Palmyra, free to be a kid or a teen, and still feel innocent about aspects of the outer world,” she reflected.
The memoir, written over the course of 14 months, was both a demanding and rewarding project. Sullivan studied the craft of memoir writing at the University of Iowa and spent up to eight hours a day at her desk, often exhausted but eager to keep going. She emphasized that honesty and vulnerability were essential in telling her story:
“To me a memoir is not great unless it’s fully honest, open, and vulnerable. If you skim the surface, you lose the story,” she explained.
In addition to her Missouri roots, Sullivan has led a remarkable life beyond Palmyra. Her career has included work in the fashion industry as a model, model agent, and scout for Ford Models. She also served as President of the American Adoption Congress in Washington, D.C., and holds a master’s degree in clinical social work. Her life story was once featured in Rolling Stone magazine. Today, she and her husband, author Randall Sullivan, make their home on the Oregon Coast.
Although she has lived far from northeast Missouri for many years, Sullivan said Palmyra still feels familiar every time she returns.“I can still come back and cash a check at the store, no questions asked, and have someone say,‘Hi Deedee,’” she said.
Sullivan hopes her memoir resonates with readers both in her hometown and far beyond.
“I wanted it to inspire people and show that the human spirit can overcome difficult moments if we remain open and ask for assistance,” she said
“A Good Place to Live: A Girl Comes of Age in Rural Missouri” is now available on Amazon.