ANNOUNCING THE WOMAN OF THE MONTH

A Symphony of Speech and Service

Meet October’s Fort Worth Woman! In the harmonious blend of Fort Worth’s vibrant culture and community, a melody of passion, dedication, and service emerges in the form of Michelle Marlow. A clinically certified speech-language pathologist, author, and mother, Michelle’s story is a testament to the power of voice – both in speech and service.

Michelle’s journey unfolds in the quiet, nurturing embrace of Shiner, Texas. The daughter of a local veterinarian and a speech-language pathologist, she was cradled in a world where communication and care were not professions but ways of life. The values instilled in her childhood became the compass guiding her through life, echoing the enduring wisdom of her parents – “Never forget your roots.” Her roots, in particular from her mother, encouraged her next steps towards becoming a speech-language pathologist herself.

A Horned Frog’s Leap
Fort Worth welcomed Michelle with the same warmth and support she had known in Shiner. As a TCU Horned Frog, the city and institution fostered her talents, giving wings to her aspirations. Armed with a bachelor’s and later a a master’s degree in Speech Language Pathology, Michelle embarked on a journey that would see her touch lives, one word at a time.

A Table of Six
At the heart of Michelle’s world is her “Table of Six” – her husband Scott, a cardiac anesthesiologist, and their four sons. Michelle and Scott both met on a ‘blind date gone right’ and together have built a beautiful family. Michelle describes this time by saying “Personally he had just moved to town from Nashville where he did his residency at Vanderbilt.  The nurses in the lounge were talking about how he and his girlfriend had just broken up.  Susan Howard, Nancy Kritzer  (like my second moms) and Sarah Meek (sister in Pi Beta Phi at TCU) were in the lounge and overheard the chatter.  They went straight up to Scott, handed him my name and phone number and said ‘this is the girl you are going to marry’.  One year later we were engaged.  One year later, married. And on our first wedding anniversary we brought Baby George (now 25) home from the hospital.  It was meant to be!”

The Speech Maestro turned Author
Since 1995, Michelle has been a symphony of support and empowerment for children. Over the years, from toddlers to high-schoolers in FWISD, ECI, Head Start, and Everman ISD, her expertise as a speech-language pathologist has been a beacon of hope and transformation. From there, Michelle even opened her own private practice to help children in Fort Worth. Each child, a unique note, together composing a melody of progress, inclusivity, and empowerment.

As her professional expertise grew, Michelle describes a profound memory from her time at TCU. She explains, “My professor at TCU told me she loved the way I taught children how to say sounds. Although she does not remember (we laugh about this!) she said to me ‘you should write books’.  I did just that after graduate school.  They then sat on my computer for 25 years.” Fast forward to her time as President of the Junior League of Fort Worth and Michelle describes the day her old faithful computer died, “Scott was so sweet to come to the rescue and switch all my ‘stuff’ over to my new computer.  He came across my ‘chapter books’.   He printed them out and indicated that he enjoyed reading them so much, he encouraged me to publish.  Once again I heard, ‘You should publish Michelle’.  I did just that.”

A Storyteller’s Ink
Michelle’s passion for communication transcends clinical settings, finding expression in the enchanting pages of her now six children’s books. Titles like “S is the Most Delicious Sound” and “L is for Lemonade” are not just collections of words but bridges of understanding, support, and awareness. Each book (S is the Most Delicious Sound, L is for Lemonade, R is the Roughest Sound, CH is the Most Challenging Sound, SH is for Shiner, and I Can With Van being a few leading titles), inspired by common speech challenges, are a sanctuary where children, parents, teachers, and speech pathologists converge in learning and support. The goal is to help children gain confidence while speaking whether that involves help with articulation or even using humming as a technique to get “un-stuck” from a word. As Michelle describes, these books, “have blessed me beyond belief!  We currently have six books published with two in waiting.  One on Dyslexia and another my favorite, Autism. The setting is in New York and is titled Autism is A, OK. “

Cowtown Roots
Outside of books, Michelle’s family roots, which are deeply embedded in Fort Worth, have blossomed into outside initiatives like Colonial Kids for a Cause and Marlow’s Back the Blue – reflections of a family’s unwavering commitment to community and service. This is her mark on Fort Worth.

She describes these further, “Colonial Kids started when my son George was six years old.  We had a tiny lemonade stand in the front yard that became quickly famous as Phil Mickelson would stop by along many other professional golfers.” After quickly earning quite the collection of funds, the Marlow Family began to connect with other local families to create what is now called LemonAid and is a 13+ year tradition that happens over the Charles Schwab Challenge, benefiting different local non-profits each year. Last year alone, a record amount of $119,000 was raised for The Net.

Marlow Boys Back the Blue started while the Marlow Family was vacationing in Telluride. Michelle describes in detail, “We were at dinner one evening when the policemen were shot in Dallas.  We were all so distraught!  The boys on the drive home asked how we could help.  I did not have the answers but I knew just who would. We made an appointment to meet with Chief of Police Joel Fitzgerald and Marlow Boys Back the Blue was formed.  We once again gathered our friends and once a month we served our police all over the city for one year.  We took them lunch, decorated their offices, celebrated holidays…. We were there for anything they needed. Today we still serve them once a year.  We love lifting their spirits! “

A Visionary’s Gaze
As Michelle carefully eyes the prospect of the future (over a three year span as her youngest son William nears his college years), she reflects back to her foundation. She states she sees herself “sinking my toes back into what I love to do most in my spare time- being a speech pathologist.  I am going back to work in our public school system.  I want to work with the children who need me most- even just a hug.  I am very good at that!  I love our city (I like to call it a town) and believe every strong town needs a strong public school system.  I want to help in any way!  I am going to run for FWISD’s School Board.  I am not a politician nor do I think I have all the answers, but I can certainly give them my best if elected.” In her, our city will find a servant leader, ready to wrap our education system (and community for that matter) in an embrace of both transformation and progress.

The word Michelle chose for her impact on Fort Worth is evident – love. As she describes, “I feel so lucky to be loved the way I have been loved over the years. I want to return that love!”. This is why her movements make ripple effects far beyond any expectations.

Michelle’s story is a ballad of roots honored, opportunities seized, and lives touched. In the mesmerizing dance of her professional and personal life, Fort Worth finds a woman of the month, and indeed, a woman of every moment.

To purchase the books she has written for your bookshelf or classroom click here:
https://www.tcupress.com/author/michelle-mckee-marlow/