Steve Roberts

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Happy, a civil rights activist since the 1960s, is modest about her community contributions. “I’m just a volunteer, but I’ve been doing it a long time,” she says. Daughter Dottie, Director of the Shelby County Division of Community Services, was influenced by her mom’s social conscience. “I’m just lucky enough to get paid for it,” she says playfully. “I turned my community activism into a career.” These days their works overlap in an effort to establish a family safety center for domestic abuse victims.

Happy: “All three of my daughters have a social conscience and they work hard to make the world a better place. How could I be more proud of them?”

Dottie: “We’re not overly sentimental about Mother’s Day around here. With a mom like ours, every day is Mother’s Day!”