The KET Fund for Independent Production
Update: The Seven Sisters
In October 2007, filmmaker Patrick Donohew shared this update on the lives of the women featured in Seven Sisters since the film was shot:
Scarlette Armstrong
Scarlette and Steve remained married for 47 years, until Steve passed away in 1991. Scarlette remained as headstrong as ever. When told that the governor had named March 8, 2001 as “Seven Sisters Day” in Kentucky, she said, “Well, he should have made all of us Colonels!” Scarlette passed away in 2005 and is survived by her three sons, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Cora Holleran
Cora and Paul were married for more than 50 years. Paul died in 2005, a few years after the film’s release. Cora was the only one of the sisters to return to farm life, living on a farm in Scott County just outside of Lexington that was the location of many a family gathering through the years. Cora still lives on the farm near her two children, four grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
Ethel Cox Donohew
Ethel is the mother of the filmmaker and was the original inspiration for the film. She suggested it be a story about her father, but it then developed into a film about the sisters themselves. Ethel was a schoolteacher at Stonewall Elementary in Lexington for many years. She passed away in 2005 and is survived by her three children and six grandchildren. In October of 2007, a bench was dedicated in her name at the University of Kentucky Arboretum, along the Kentucky Walk, in the Eastern Kentucky section.
Dorothy Isaacs
Dorothy lived in Lexington for many years. Although she did not return to finish her college degree, she was married to Charlie Isaacs, an engineer with IBM who was also, after retirement, a math teacher at Lexington and Somerset community colleges. Her husband died in 2004. Dorothy has three children and three grandchildren and now lives near Lake Cumberland in Nancy, KY.
Glenna Cox
After the making of the film, Glenna really blossomed. In 2002 she moved into a retirement community in Lexington, where she is very popular and social. Her light shines brighter than ever.
Charlotte Owens
While the subject is not addressed in the documentary, during filming Charlotte was battling breast cancer. After beating it back to a clean bill of health, she was diagnosed with leukemia. Charlotte has faced this new challenge with the same remarkable courage, grace, and strength that was apparent in the film and now lives a very happy, healthy life with her husband in Leitchfield, KY. Charlotte has two children and two grandchildren.
John Patrick Donohew (filmmaker)
John Patrick lives, with his wife and daughter, in San Francisco. He continues to write, produce, and direct for films and events.
For more information on the sisters, or to obtain a copy of the film or the soundtrack, please visit Sour Mash Films.
