Recently a story on Jacqueline Rose Olivo “Rose,” who celebrated her 100th birthday earlier this year, came to our attention. Mrs. Olivo is truly remarkable and deserves the spotlight. Mrs. Olivo gave birth to and raised 16 children. That feat alone should earn her a Nobel Prize. Yet additionally, at over 100 years, she remains clear of mind and speech as well as strong and relatively independent. There is a mighty spirit in Mrs. Olivo, and this spirit is also obvious in her 13th child, Barbara Olivo Cagle.
Mrs. Cagle has been awed and inspired by her mother since she was young. She knew she wanted to tell her mother’s story by the time she was 17. Mrs. Cagle had suffered a severe toboggan accident that landed her in the hospital. As days in the recovery went by, she watched her mom sit in the hospital room with her. Mrs. Cagle knew that her mother had 15 other kids that needed attention.
“Mom, I’m gonna write a book about you,” Mrs. Cagle said, and she already knew what the title of the book would be.
16 x Mom: A Mastery Of Motherhood, came together piece by piece as Mrs. Cagle gathered her mother’s history, family information and pictures. “I kept letters, mementos, photos, and comments along a journey of many family commemoratives for the next several years.” There were breaks in the process as Mrs. Cagle raised her own family and pursued other careers. However, the book was never completely lost or forgotten.
When she took on this task, self-publishing wasn’t as easy as it is today. The project took lots of time and meticulous effort to measure the margins of her paragraphs and the multiple pages of pictures. Mrs. Cagle found great help and support amongst the members of the Spokane Authors & Self-Publishers group and even served as their president from 2005 to 2007. “I surrounded myself with authors, publishers, illustrators, and editors of all sorts for encouragement and knowledge.”
Finishing the book was a long process, but eventually all of the pieces came together. Mrs. Cagle said the process was “a labor of love and every step was filled with joy.” The book was completed and self-published in 2008.
Currently Mrs. Cagle is hoping to adapt the book into an ebook for Kindle and similar devices, as well as possibly producing an audiobook in the near future.
She is also in the midst of producing a documentary, “100 Years With Rose”, which will be a biography of her mother. Mrs. Cagle is gathering more pictures and trying to take cameras to some important locations from her mother’s past. It’s a big project, but she has great support and help all around her.
If you would like to learn more or buy a copy of Mrs. Cagle’s book, go to http://www.barbaracagle.com/author.html
Artisans and creators have exceptional talents and abilities that often get overlooked or underpraised. If you or someone you know has an ability that you think should be highlighted, write the editor at [email protected] or Editor Deer Park Gazette PO Box 1581, Deer Park, WA 99006.
