Career

Mrs. Ross is a graduate of The University of Central Missouri with a B.A. in Speech and a B.S. Ed. in English. She received her Masters degree from the University of Missouri at St. Louis and was a career teacher in the Parkway School District. During her tenure as speech and debate coach at Parkway Central HS, her teams garnered many awards. Her Mock Trial teams were four-time State Champions, and her Student Congress teams ranked consistently in the top ten nationwide in the National Forensic League.

Programs

In pursuing her keen interest in the 19th Century, Mrs. Ross has developed programs to showcase the Victorian Era. Her early Victorian lady, "General Jessie--Jessie Benton Fremont--the Unvictorian Victorian" is a first person historical presentation sponsored by the Missouri Humanities Council which portrays one of the most dynamic and vital American women of the turbulent times from 1841 to 1863. Also developed for the Missouri Humanities Council is a presentation on Marguerite McNair, first First Lady of the state of Missouri and a program on Missouri mid-century which features railroads and the "Honey War"--the sweetest little war the midwest ever had. Mrs. McBustle is a quaintly humorous late Victorian who engages the audience in entertainments of a bygone era and dispenses invaluable tips for home and hearth.

Published Works

Her writing credits include articles in The Missouri Journal of Speech, Debate Issues, and The Rostrum. Her books include Winning Ways in Mock Trial, a publication of the National Federation of High School Activity Associations, and Fallacy Fighter. Writing as Fedora AMIS, Donna won the Mayhaven Prize for fiction for her humorous Victorian Whodunit Jack the Ripper in St. Louis. Missouri Writers' Guild Show-Me finalist Mayhem at Buffalo Bill's Wild West. Coming from 5-Star in 2019, Have Your Ticket Punched by Frank James. .

Honors

Mrs. Ross has won many accolades and including Most Outstanding Speech Teacher in the state of Missouri awarded by the Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri; National Forensic League Diamond Key, 4th honors; NFL Outstanding Service Citation, 4th level (top ten in the nation); and NFL District Chair of the Year. She has been elected to three Halls of Fame: Speech and Theatre Association of Missouri, Speech and Debate Association (national), and Smith-Cotton High School. Her biography has been included in Who's Who Among American Teachers and 2000 Outstanding Scholars of the 20th Century.

Lincoln Wit
and Wisdom