Dorothy Frooks

Dorothy Frooks (February 12, 1896 - April 13, 1997) was an American author, publisher, military figure and actress. An intriguing figure for most of her long life, Frooks was active in public affairs and in the military throughout her life.

She worked as a writer for the New York Evening World and published the Murray Hill News in 1952. She also wrote a pamphlet, entitled Labor Courts Outlaw Strikes, calling for the establishment of a labor court.

As an author, Frooks wrote many fiction and non-fiction books, including The Olympic Torch, The American Heart and Lady Lawyer, her autobiography.

A veteran of both World War I (Navy) and World War II (Army), Frooks also served as the National Commander of the Women World War Veterans.

Interestingly, Frooks' greatest fame came when she starred in Reds, opposite Warren Beatty, Diane Keaton, and fellow centenarian "radicals" Scott Nearing and George Seldes. Frooks, Nearing and Seldes were all first-hand witnesses of the red-baiting, McCarthyism, and Cold War hysteria of the 1950s, one of the darker moments in American history.