Suzanne Chalfant Lighton (frequently called Peggy Sue) was born 24 July 1905 in Omaha, Nebraska. After graduation from the University of Arkansas in 1925, and her unsuccessful attempt to become a newspaper reporter in California, she did some free-lance writing, then read law with Judge Lee Seamster of Fayetteville and became a lawyer in 1933. She was active in politics (she organized the Arkansas State Democratic Women's Club) and community affairs (in particular, Red Cross blood drives, the Arkansas Bar Association, various social services organizations, and city beautification). She died 15 November 1978.