Who We Are

About the Book

The authors of this book span five generations of Americans.  As with all families, some people write, some people sing, some people express their faith through art, and some people reveal God’s love in their caring for others.  This book is a compilation of poetry and prose focusing on the every day life and faith, trials and successes, and meaning of family.

Through these generations, the family has maintained its roots in the Midwest, where George Smith opened Smith’s New Cass Hotel in Detroit, offering rooms for $1.00 per day and giving advice on how to spend a pleasant day in Detroit for 33 cents.  Here Rose Plumb lived to be 104 years old.  Children have been born and buried. Families have grown, celebrating their triumphs and supporting each other during difficult times.  Cousins have grown up together.  People have laughed and cried, loved and lived, and most of all, celebrated the God who made everything possible.

The voices in this book are the words of children, the expressions of teenagers, the voices of adults, and the wisdom of the aging.  They are the cries of delight, the wails of despair, the laughter of the absurd, and the celebration of family.

About the Author

Who We Are, primarily authored by Marceline Ross and her mother, Evelyn Jones, includes the writing and artwork of five generations.  Marceline spent much of her life researching family history and has long dreamed of publishing these works.

Marceline was born in 1929 to Evelyn and Bud Jones of Detroit, Michigan.  They lived in The House on Blackstone with her three brothers and grandparents, Rose and Benjamin Plumb.  The Jones household was full of music, fresh baked goods, friends and anyone in need of a warm meal and the love of God’s people.  Bud’s gardens were famous for their abundance and no one on their street lacked for fresh produce because of Bud’s hard work and generosity. 

Marceline, the first of her family to attend college, earned a Master’s degree and taught elementary school art and sixth grade.  She married Clifford Ross and had five children, three of whom survived infancy.  Cliff and Marceline lived in Redford Township, Michigan where they attended church, taught school, and owned a local real estate brokerage.  Extended family often joined them on trips, picnics, and excursions to the lake or cottage.  In later years, Cliff and Marcie traveled extensively and divided their time between their homes in Florida and Michigan.  Cliff died suddenly in September of 2002, leaving both a great void and a wonderful legacy.

Their daughters, Carol and Evelyn, married Jon Glick and Barry Price in a double wedding in 1980.  Liz married Nelson Stevenson two years later.  Each couple has been blessed with healthy, successful children.  Marceline has seven grandchildren and a great grandson.  God’s blessings continue each year with new additions to the family tree.   

Who We Are was edited by Carol Glick, Evelyn Price, and Elizabeth Stevenson.  Evelyn contributed much of the artwork and graphics, including the cover design.