Elaine (Mirabella) Garretson, Highland Springs High School class of ’71, is a second generation Springer.  Her mother, Doris O’Rork Mirabella graduated from Highland Springs in 1941.  Several other relatives, including cousin Maureen (Cash) Moffet (class of ’72), cousin Dale Thaw (class of ’72), and brother Glenn Mirabella (class of ’73) also attended HSHS. 

Elaine is a graduate of Winona State University. Following her graduation from college, she and her daughter Michelle lived in Europe and in several locations throughout the United States before moving to the southwest. While living in Arizona Elaine became a U.S. Customs Officer. In 1994, Elaine relocated to the Northern Virginia area where she oversaw the International Extradition Unit of the U.S. Marshals Service. In 2004, Elaine retired from government service to pursue her writing career full time.

Elaine negotiated the child support enforcement system for 32 years until she met with success in procuring overdue support from her daughter's birth father. Her litigation efforts resulted in a precedent setting court victory. Her prayer is that DEADBEAT DADDY will help establish a national dialogue and bring awareness to the tragedy of millions of children who have been financially abandoned.

The Springer Connection is proud to support Springer alumni who write and perform. We hope you will too.