This month, hear the story of a secretary-turned-inventor, whose office products transformed an industry. Bette Nesmith Graham helped hundreds of families through her compassionate treatment of employees—all driven by her Christian Science faith. Struggling as a single mother, she had the idea for a paint-like correction fluid, later named Liquid Paper. She developed the product on her own, through research at the public library—and in her kitchen. And it worked! The story of Graham’s invention is well-documented. What’s less familiar is her strong foundation as a Christian Scientist. It informed many aspects of her life, including the values she established for her company and two philanthropies focused on helping women. Madelon Maupin, who knew Graham firsthand as a colleague and friend, joins the podcast to share her recollections of the innovator, and the Library’s Rivi Feinsilber describes her research into untold aspects of Graham’s life.
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Madelon Maupin is a lecturer and Bible scholar. Speaking on many biblical books and subjects, she provides study resources and online courses through her scriptural education company, Bible Roads. She has lectured throughout the Mediterranean and Middle East, as a cultural historian for Princess Cruises, and led student groups to Turkey, Greece, Jordan, Israel, and Italy. Maupin had a long business career in Los Angeles, serving Fortune 100 clients through her leadership consulting firm. She served on the board of trustees for the launch of the New Theological Seminary of the West in Southern California. Among other publications, Maupin’s writing on the Bible and spirituality can be found in The Christian Science Journal and the Christian Science Sentinel. She holds a masters degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary.
Rivi Feinsilber is assistant archivist in The Mary Baker Eddy Library’s Research & Reference Services division and author of the February 2023 article on Bette Graham, part of the Library’s “Women of History” series. She holds a master’s in library science with a concentration in archives management from Simmons University, as well as a master’s in history from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her current research work includes Jewish colonial religious history, with an emphasis in the British North American colonies and the plan to expand to the Caribbean in the same period.
