Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins was an American newspaper columnist, populist, political commentator, humorist and author. Ivins was born in Monterey, California, and raised in Houston, Texas. Her father Jim Ivins, known as "General Jim" because of his rigid authoritarianism , was an oil and gas executive, and the family lived in Houston's affluent River Oaks neighborhood. Ivins graduated from St. John's School in 1962. In high school, she was active in extracurricular activities, including the yearbook staff. She had her first pieces of journalism published in The Review, the official student... newspaper of St. John's School, though she never wrote any of the political columns that would become her specialty later in life. Ivins later became co-editor of the arts and culture section of the student paper. In addition, she frequently participated in theater productions and earned a lifetime membership to Johnnycake, the drama club. Ivins enrolled in Scripps College in 1962 but was not happy there, and transferred to Smith College in 1963.
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