Christine Augusta Tolbert Norman was born in Monrovia, Liberia, into a family where public service was a way of life. As the daughter of President William R. Tolbert, Jr., she came of age surrounded by faith, education, and a deep sense of purpose — values she would carry across continents, through exile, and back home again.

Educated at Cuttington University College and Northwestern University, Christine built a life of extraordinary impact — founding schools, launching Liberia’s first indigenous educational supply company, serving as Deputy Minister of Education, and ultimately being appointed Mayor of Bentol City by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. She represented her nation at the signing of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and spent decades restoring communities ravaged by war and displacement.

She was a mother, a peacemaker, a published author, and an enduring force for good. Her memoir, completed just weeks before her passing in June 2021, is the story of a woman who refused to let tragedy have the final word.