Helen Gordon, later Helen Gordon Davis, was born in New York City in 1926. Her intense drive for achievement came early in life. As an eight year old child, she lost her father to tuberculosis and subsequently contracted the disease herself, spending the next 2 years in a hospital ward in Jersey City, New Jersey. She tells friend Linda Goldstein it was at this time that her commitment to those less fortunate was cemented. We'll start with Helen recalling an incident that took place shortly after arriving in Tampa in the late 1940s, and how she quickly became involved in local political and social issues. From the League of Women Voters to the Florida House of Representatives and later the state senate, she carried her personal mission to represent those with few resources.