Sharon Avey, Author and Presenter
		Sharon Avey has entertained the public with living history presentations for over fifteen years. The presentations represent an accumulation of a lifetime of personal research. Since childhood she has been inspired by a fascination with Victorian times, an interest that has carried over to her adult life. She began to collect antiques in her teens and has now acquired an extensive collection of Victorian clothing and everyday household items.

She has been an avid student of history for many years, and is now Historical Education Coordinator for a courthouse museum in California. Over the years, she has developed a series of hour-long presentations on dozens of related topics. Recreating the lives of ordinary and famous women is also her passion. Among them Queen Victoria; Sarah Royce, a pioneer woman; Clara Foltz, a lawyer and suffrage leader; Madame Modjeska, an actress; Clara Barton, the originator of the Red Cross; and women pioneers who traveled the emigrant trails.

It became apparent to Sharon many years ago that people were eager to know more about Victorian history in America. Therefore, she began to give presentations and performances for schools, historical societies, bar associations and women's clubs, to name a few.

Her award-winning artifact collections have been displayed at historic sites, museums, library galleries, and businesses. With her own personal style, she promotes history by dressing in Victorian clothing she has collected and designed.

In the course of her research, Sharon discovered Clara Shortridge Foltz, America's first practicing woman lawyer. Her curiosity was piqued by the short biography she read, so she began to look for more information on this fascinating woman. To her amazement she found no book on Clara and only scant biographies which repeated the same information. Thus began a personal quest to give Clara Foltz her rightful place in history. After years of research, Sharon performed a Clara Foltz vignette for the California Federated Women's Club regional convention. The response at the reception was overwhelming. Everyone wanted to know more, so she decided to continue the Lady Lawyer presentation. The entertaining presentations are being presented to this day.

During her six-year association with a local law school, Sharon has met and associated with scores of law professors, attorneys and judges. Many are affiliated with state and national organizations and were anxious to help her research her book on the Lady Lawyer. Her network of writing associates include David Duncan, a professor of legal writing and department chair; June Casey, an author of 15 published romance novels; and Dr. Lawrence deGraaf, a professor of history at California State University, Fullerton.