Freda Mae Rustemeyer was born and raised on a farm outside Linn, Missouri ; her parents were Fred and Julia (Bogler) Rustemeyer, and she had three sisters: Dorothy, Marcella, and Mary Ellen. She worked in Japan with the occupation forces of the U.S. Army, as a clerk in the Adjutant General's office, 1947-1949.
Upon her return to the U.S., she attended the University of Chicago, earning a Master of Social Work degree in 1954. While there, she met and married a fellow student, Mario S. De Pillis, who became a professor of history; they had three sons: Vincent, Mario, Jr., and Alexander. The family lived in Chicago, New Haven, Conn., and Berkeley, Calif., before settling in Amherst, Mass. FMD pursued her profession of social work in all these places.
From the guide to the Papers, 1936-1976, (Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute)
