Bertha Amelia Mackstroth, a Glencoe resident, a Radcliffe graduate, and a quilter, held a Radcliffe tea in 1930 at which she was the program. She told about her "sculptures in cloth". Born to a German mother and an American father she grew up in La Sueur, MN. Her German paternal grandparents, on the boat sailing to the U.S., sat side-by-side knitting. By the time they reached the U. S. they were married. Birdie's sister married Richard W Sears (founder of Sears Roebuck, the beginnings of which are described). She left an enigmatic will which resulted in her quilts being divided between Radcliffe and Barat Colleges.