Margaret Christan Grant was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1948, the only child of Gary and Betty Grant. Gary Grant was a cotton farmer and Betty was the town librarian. Baton Rouge was a sleepy little town on the east bank of the Mississippi River when Maggie Grant came into the world. Nothing much happened in Baton Rouge. Life was predictable and safe and everyone knew everyone by their first name.

Gary met Betty at a church social and it wasn’t long before the dashing young homegrown hero, just returned from the battlefields of WWII, and the sweet soft-spoken Betty were the talk of the town.

Betty’s mom Marie was thrilled to have her young Betty chosen by such a fine young man as Gary, and it wasn’t too long before they were married and soon to be expecting their first child Margaret.

In the South in the late 40s and 50s, it was unusual for a woman to work after she got married, and even more unusual to work when pregnant, but Betty was the only librarian in the parish and she loved her job. Besides Gary worked from sunup till sundown on the farm and Betty needed something to do. So it was decided she’d work until the baby came.