Marcee Blackerby
Marcee Blackerby was born on August 21, 1944, in Castledale, Utah. Marcee was just 4 years old when she was diagnosed with polio. What may seem like a tragic story is actually an interesting biography. Polio has never once stopped Marcee from doing the things she wanted to do.
Polio is a dangerous virus which is spread by coming into contact with animal feces. 90% of people with polio never experience any harmful symptoms. In fewer than 1% of polio cases, the virus enters their central nervous system. From there the disease spreads and destroys muscles and damages the spine. This is the kind of polio Marcee has. A vaccine for polio was discovered by Jonas Salk in 1955, seven years after Marcee was diagnosed with the disease.
Marcee got polio from playing in dirty puddle water in Castledale. The neighbor boy who used to play with her also got polio. Polio only effected one of his legs, leaving him with a bad limp. Marcee’s polio is much more severe. Now, she can’t walk.
As a child Marcee would sneak off to the gypsies that camped outside of Castledale. She got there by hitch hiking. It was here she learned about reading cards and how to interpret dreams. Marcee was probably the only person in Castledale who was not scared of them.
When Marcee was thirteen she stole her grandmother’s car. She did this because she wanted to go visit her friends and she had just had some alcohol. She drove by controlling the clutch, gas and brake with a crutch. She only made it about 3 miles out of town before her parents caught up to her. At the age of fourteen Marcee ran away to join a circus, trying to impress a boy who worked there. She had never been outside of Utah but now she was so determined to work there nothing was going to stop her. She was even going to get paid and have her own room. Soon after her decision she was brought back home by her parents again.
Not long after this Marcee and her family moved to Salt Lake City. There she met and married Rick Blackerby, who is now a successful artist and inspired Marcee to become a professional artist herself.
Marcee has loved art for a long time, it is her favorite way of expressing herself. She uses art to share her beliefs on our culture. One of my favorite pieces is a painting which combines men’s neckties and French fries. She called it French Ties. Marcee also likes to do art so she can make fun of herself and other people.
Now Marcee is a famous artist as well. She has shown her work extensively in Utah galleries and won awards at the Utah Arts Festival. Recent shows include an exhibit at the United Nations in New York City and her work was showcased at the VSA Arts Festival in Washington D.C. She even has her own website featuring her art at
Success as an artist has made Marcee a more confident person. She decided to enroll in college, and ended up studying English, teaching and political science. It was the political science classes which got her interested in politics. In fact, Ted Wilson, who is a former mayor of Salt Lake City, encouraged Marcee and even tried to get her to run for a local office.
Marcee still has strong feelings about politics. She believes that if you don’t vote you shouldn’t be able to complain about the current administration. She thinks President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney should be put on trial for crimes against America for the damage they have caused to this country. She also believes that
their policies are responsible for the current economic problems.
Marcee is very liberal and has never voted for a Republican. Even though she has been disappointed by our countries leadership, Marcee is a huge patriot who thinks America has a positive future.
By Zachary McLaren