Autobiography of Cheryl A. King: One Clinical Scientist’s Journey, Supported by Many
Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1955, Cheryl King is the third of four children born to Marvin and Marian Polewach. Her parents grew up on farms in the “thumb” of Michigan and were the first in each of their families to attend college. King’s father, a certified public accountant, owned and managed his own accounting firm and enjoyed investing in real estate and the stock market. Her mother was a high school teacher who became a homemaker and later obtained a Master’s degree in guidance and counseling. Her parents and her maternal grandmother, Susie Soule, were strong influences in her life. Her grandmother taught grades one through twelve in a one-room schoolhouse, returning to college for a teaching degree late in life. King was raised to value education and understood from an early age that she would attend college. Equally important, however, she was raised to value hard work, responsibility, and kindness toward others. King is strongly appreciative of her solid family upbringing in suburban Detroit. She benefited from a caring family notable for its stable routines and clear expectations, and from living in a community with a safe neighborhood and a strong public school system. King loved school and thrived on the “always something happening” rhythm of life in a family with three siblings (Dale, Gary, and Sheila). Her family memories APAHC Citation