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Karen Grassle and Michael Landon Karen Grassle  The best-known member of the Class of 1959 is no doubt Karen Grassle, who starred as Caroline Ingalls on Michael Landon’s “The Little House on the Prairie” television show for eight seasons (and forever after in reruns somewhere around the country). Karen was born Feb. Feb. 25, 1944, in Berkeley, meaning she had to have skipped a grade or two somewhere along the way to become a member of the class of 1959. At Ventura High, she was secretary of the Student Legislature and a member of the Thespian Club in 1958, her junior year. As a senior, she was vice president of the Associated Student Body, and a member of the Student Legislature, Social board, Ushers Club and Thespian Club. She performed in the senior play, “The Night of July 16th,” in the role of Karen Andre. As noted on our home page, she was also one of the class valedictorians. She has performed in several TV shows, movies and stage productions. Karen provided this information: Karen Grassle is best known for her portrayal of "Ma" on "Little House on the Prairie" for eight seasons. A longtime advocate and worker for women's rights, Ms. Grassle was central in bringing the issue of battered women to the attention of the American public with her film "Battered," in which she starred and co-wrote. She has lobbied for help in domestic violence, the ERA, and Women's Right to Choose on the national and state levels. For several years, she lived in Louisville, Ky., and acted at Actors Theatre of Louisville in "Shadowlands" (directed by Rob Bundy), "Death and the Maiden," "Sylvia," "Olympia," "A Perfect Ganesh," "Seascape" and three Humana Festivals of new American plays. Prior to her television stint, she appeared on Broadway in "Butterflies Are Free," "The Gingham Dog," and later, "Sweet Sue." For the New York Shakespeare Festival, Ms. Grassle did Imogen in "Cymbeline" with Chris Walken, Sam Waterson and Bill Devane. She appeared in regional theatres around the country following her Fulbright Fellowship to the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. During her stay In Hollywood, Ms. Grassle appeared in such Movies of the Week "The President's Mistress," "Crisis in Mid-Air," and "Battered," which she also co-wrote. She has taught Linklater Voice work at LAMDA and in New York City, "Acting for the Camera" at the College of Santa Fe and is indebted to her teachers, Ms. Linklater and Roy London in particular among others. From March through June of 2001 she appeared on stage in WIT for both the Arizona Theatre Company in Tucson and Phoenix and for the Ordway Center in St. Paul. In November of 2001, Ms. Grassle starred in "Driving Miss Daisy" in Nashville. Karen returned to Ventura in July 2005 for a performance at The Rubicon. Here is a story that appeared in the Ventura County Star and a letter from a fan in Northern Ireland who says Karen saved her life.   A search of the Web found no personal home page for Karen, but many pages contain information about her, the best of which are listed here. (We can not guarantee the accuracy of the information on these sites.) These sites will open in a separate window when you click on the link: Biography.com (a Karen Grassle biography)   All Movie Guide (a more complete bio of Karen -- including an interesting story about how she changed her name temporarily -- and a list of her credits) The Definitive Laura Ingalls Wilder Pages (cast list and background of TV show, along with extensive information on Laura Ingalls Wilder) Morty’s World of TV (Includes a Question and Answer section with the question: What ever happened to Karen Grassle?) Videoflicks (Karen's works that area available to buy on video) E!online (Karen's credits; might not be complete) My Celebrity Photographs (a more recent photo of Karen) Marshall University (West Virginia): A story from the university newspaper about Karen producing "Keely and Du" at the university. Arizona Theatre Company: A story about the production of "Wit," starring Karen Karen Grassle message board on Starbuzz.com Internet Movie Database (information about Karen and her work)