She earned a bachelor’s degree in art education and a minor in special education at the University of Montana and taught in Philipsburg Public Schools until she retired in 2013.

While teaching, McDonald continued with her art, becoming a member of the Missoula calligraphy guild, a signature member of the Color Pencil Society of America, a member of the Art Center in Helena and also the Silk Painters of Montana.

For more information, visit https://themyrnaloy.com/, 15 N. Ewing, 443-0287.

Sweetgrass Books and author Gerry Robinson announce that Robinson’s powerful work of historical fiction, “The Cheyenne Story: An Interpretation of Courage” was awarded the National Cowboy Museum’s 2020 Western Heritage Award for Best Western Novel.

The Western Heritage Awards honor individuals who have made significant contributions to Western heritage through creative works in literature, music, television, and film that share the great stories of the American West.

Robinson is also a finalist for the 2020 High Plains Book Awards in the Best First Book category.

The High Plains Book Awards recognize the best regional literary works which examine and reflect life on the High Plains, including the states of Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado and Kansas, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.