Frances Pailthorp was born in Petoskey in 1879. Known for her fiery red hair and storytelling, Frances was a champion of the arts in the Petoskey community. She was an art teacher in Petoskey for 46 years. She was responsible for the mural, painted in the senior study hall, which is now displayed at North Central Michigan College. Through creating, teaching, fundraising and collecting, she inspired many. Her influence continues to touch lives today through her collection of Odawa quill boxes and storied scrapbooks held by the Little Traverse History Museum.

Frances died in 1968.