Mary Ann Lewis Pedersen was born September 24, 1934 in Davis County, Iowa, the eldest of 7 children of Harry and Emma Bohi Lewis. She was educated in the schools of Missouri and Iowa, earning a Bachelor's and Master's degrees at the University of Northern Iowa. She did clerical work for several years and then spent 40 years as a teacher in Fort Dodge Public Schools as well as an adjunct professor at the Iowa Central Community College and Buena Vista Colleges. She concentrated her studies and teaching on history in several areas, including women's history. As a high school teacher at Fort Dodge High, Mary Ann was respected for her high standards in academics as well as for discipline and for talking straight to students. It pleased her when, decades later, former students called out "Hi, MA" when they saw Mary Ann in a store and on the street, often being told with a smile that she was the only teacher they couldn't fool, and who made them behave. Her motto was always, "Knowledge creates power."