Phyllis: A Detroit Heroine

"She may be little, but she makes herself heard."

Phyllis Katherine Arquette was a petite woman who wrote and placed the following saying on her refrigerator, "Keep moving Phyllis, always keep moving." This is the story of a woman who symbolizes all the unsung mothers of the world and a portrayal of an American family living in Detroit, Michigan, during a tumultuous time in history-all based on the real-life experiences of Phyllis Katherine Arquette.

In the summer of 1928 on a beach on Belle Isle outside of Detroit, football player Bill O'Slattery and a little girl with blonde curls meet and change their destinies forever after she yells at him while standing in the line for the last ferry back to Detroit, "Hey, buster, no cutting in line Who do you think you are?" And so began a wonderful romance between two gifted people that eventually resulted in the creation of an American family who survived tragedy, the Great Depression, and many other obstacles-but emerged stronger in the end.

Phyllis reveals an innocence that permeated American society during the 1930s despite bad economic times, the glory days of Detroit, and a remarkable woman whose legacy still lives on today.

Raymond O’Slattery was raised in Detroit and has been a lifelong lover of Detroit and Michigan. He is a retired history teacher who currently lives in the South where he works as an artist.