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Zelda Sayre - TPR's In Focus - March 5, 2026 · In Focus with Carolyn Hutcheson

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  Support comes from the Janice Hawkins Cultural Arts Park
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  on the main campus of Troy University,
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  featuring the International Arts Center,
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  the Fred Nall Hollis Museum,
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  and the Huo Bao Zhu Gallery.
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  From Troy Public Radio, this is In Focus,
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  and I'm Carolyn Hutcheson.
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  March is Women's History Month,
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  and today we delve into the story of Zelda Sayre
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  and who she was before she met F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1918
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  and later married him.
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  Our guest is Tisha Rose, Executive Director
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  of the Montgomery County Historical Society,
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  based at the historic Phi Pickett House.
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  And this month, the group honors the contributions
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  of Zelda Sayre and those who influenced her.
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  ♪♪
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  Tisha Rose, welcome back to Troy Public Radio.
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  Thank you, Carolyn, for having me.
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  Always love being here.
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  One of the most exciting women in history
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  in the capital city is Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald.
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  How is the Montgomery County Historical Society
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  honoring her memory this month?
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  So we have a great exhibit right now called
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  Zelda's Muses, the Women of Montgomery.
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  And the exhibit is a collaboration
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  with the Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum,
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  as well as Dixie Art Colony Foundation.
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  And it explores Zelda's Southern roots
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  and the creative women who inspired and surrounded her.
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  Coming up next week on March the 11th,
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  you have a Lunch and Learn at the Phi Pickett House.
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  What's that going to be about?
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  So our brown bag lunches accompany
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  each of the exhibits that we do.
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  They always take place from 1130 until about one.
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  They're free and open to the public,
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  and people are encouraged to bring a sack lunch
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  if they choose.
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  And this talk is going to be presented by Elena Doten,
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  who is the executive director at the Fitzgerald Museum.
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  And she's going to talk about Zelda and Anne Goldthwaite,
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  a time together here in Montgomery.
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  So the larger idea behind this exhibit
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  was birthed out of a question
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  that Elena Doten at the Fitzgerald had.
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  And that was, who was Zelda
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  before the day that she met Scott?
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  Was she an artist then?
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  She was.
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  She was full of creativity and energy and enthusiasm.
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  That was because she was surrounded
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  by these incredible women, starting with her mother,
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  Minnie Minkinsayer, who started the Press and Authors Club.
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  She co-founded a group called the Honeybees,
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  which was a literary and music society.
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  Who were some of Zelda's contemporaries?
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  Marie Bankhead Owen,
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  who was the first woman in the United States
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  to lead a state archive.
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  She was one of the women that surrounded Zelda.
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  Tallulah Bankhead, who was a famous actress,
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  was Marie Bankhead Owen's niece
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  and a friend of Zelda's.
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  And then you have Anne Goldthwaite,
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  who became a world renowned painter.
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  She was born here in Montgomery
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  and she and Zelda were here at different times
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  and would paint together.
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  You seem to be saying that these friends,
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  these women were ahead of their time.
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  They were, they were trailblazing.
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  They were doing incredible things.
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  All of these women grew up here in Montgomery.
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  They made an impact here locally,
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  but they also did things that contributed
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  beyond just our small town.
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  And in the case of Anne Goldthwaite,
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  she was a world renowned painter, printmaker, and educator.
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  Her work is in major museums,
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  including our Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
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  Didn't she partner with the Dixie Art Colony
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  while she was here?
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  She did.
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  That is part of her history.
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  And Dixie Art Colony was a group of people
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  who were working with Kelly Fitzpatrick
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  to learn from him and from one another.
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  And they met in various places in Montgomery
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  and Lake Martin around our area for many years.
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  And Anne participated in that group
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  during her time in Montgomery.
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  Tisha, I remember from one of your earlier visits
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  that you told us that the Fye Pickett House
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  was the oldest brick house in Montgomery.
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  Can you give us a little bit more of its history
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  since it will be hosting this occasion next week?
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  Love to talk about the Fye Pickett House.
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  It is the oldest remaining brick structure in Montgomery
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  built in 1837 by John Fye,
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  who was a well-respected contractor during the time.
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  And he also built the Klein Building
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  and he helped rebuild the Capitol when it burned.
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  That was the original builder and owner of this house.
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  And then the house was purchased
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  by Colonel Albert Pickett, Alabama's first historian.
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  And he was moving to Montgomery,
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  this is why he purchased the house,
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  because he was ill and he wanted to be in town.
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  But unfortunately, Pickett died
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  before he ever lived in the house.
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  His wife lived in this house for many, many years.
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  And Tisha, the Fye Pickett House
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  is conveniently located adjacent to I-85.
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  Yes, it is very convenient for people in and out of town.
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  We are located at 512 South Court Street,
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  and we have plenty of parking
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  to the rear inside of our building.
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  We also have a lift for anybody who has mobility issues.
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  It takes somebody from the front entrance,
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  lower level to our front porch and into the main room
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  where all of our events are hosted.
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  Putting together this exhibit about Zelda Sayre
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  before she became Zelda Fitzgerald,
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  was there anything about her earlier life
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  that surprised you?
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  You know, just staying on the theme of this exhibit,
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  realizing that Zelda had all of these influences,
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  that these women in this show
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  were both mentors and muses for her,
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  gave her the strength and courage to be
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  and pursue her dreams,
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  has really been an interesting thing to understand.
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  You know, we've heard these women's names,
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  but we don't make the connection
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  of how they knew one another or that their lives overlapped.
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  And that's been a really fun thing to do
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  through this exhibit.
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  She was a creative, independent, strong woman
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  who had many interests and positive female influences
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  far outside of her marriage and life with Scott Fitzgerald.
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  Bring us back to March 11th, next Wednesday,
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  and who's invited and what will be the topics
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  for the Brown Bag Lunch and Learn?
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  Next Wednesday, March the 11th,
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  from 11.30 until about one o'clock
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  here at the Phi Pickett House.
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  Everybody is welcome.
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  It is open to the public.
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  We encourage you to bring your lunch if you would like.
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  And the topic will be
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  Zelda and Anne Goldthwaite's Time Together,
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  presented by Elena Doughton,
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  the Executive Director at the Scott
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  and Zelda Fitzgerald Museum.
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  The web information is m-c-h-s-a-l.org.
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  Tisha, thank you so much for being our guest today.
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  Thank you.
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  Again, thanks for having me
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  and happy Women's History Month.
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  Joining us for Women's History Month was Tisha Rhodes,
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  Executive Director
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  of the Montgomery County Historical Society.
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  More information about the March 11th event
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  at the Phi Pickett House can be found at the website,
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  m-c-h-s-a-l.org.
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  Thanks for joining us for In Focus,
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  which is a podcast on NPR One
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  or wherever you get your podcasts.
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  I'm Carolyn Hutcheson
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  and this is listener-supported Troy Public Radio.