The film Forrest Gump was inspired by the life of Marjorie Merriweather Post, at least it was if you ask author Allison Pataki.
Pataki is a bestselling author, a title she earned after writing the novel The Traitor’s Wife based on the life of Benedict Arnold. Pataki’s other bestselling books include The Accidental Empress and Sisi: Empress on Her Own, two tales based on her family’s experiences in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
Pataki is the daughter of former New York Gov. George Pataki. She attended Yale University, where she met her husband David Levy, and studied the English language, literature, and history. Pataki worked in television news for a few years, including a stint as a producer for Fox News, before blending her passion for real events and literature in novel form.
“This feels like the perfect blending of my love,” Pataki told the Press. “Stories, books, and history.”
In August, Pataki visited Long Island University (LIU) Post in Brookville to discuss her book, which was released last year, on the life of Marjorie Merriweather Post, daughter of Charles William Post, for whom the campus is named.
“When her father C.W. Post was ill, he was treated by Dr. [John Harvey] Kellogg and given this food called cereal,” Pataki said. “He told Kellogg that you could really make something big with this food product, and Kellogg laughed him off. But the idea took off because it was a brand-new concept of a convenient, ready-made, healthy breakfast. Post’s company soared. And Marjorie, as his only daughter, made millions.”
Marjorie Post’s story, as told by Pataki, is not only that she was the heir to the Post cereal empire, but what she did with that wealth and power. Post was the wealthiest woman in America at times, she was a philanthropist, and she had four marriages.
“What I love about this book is that Marjorie’s history feels present and more immediate – and more accessible when you’re sitting in her home,” Pataki said, gesturing to the walls of Post’s former residence on LIU’s campus. “When you look at the pictures on the wall, the people lived not that long ago. Her relatives are still alive. Some of the conversations and scenes that I’m writing in this book, people who participated in them with Mrs. Post are still alive and reading my books. Women have always played significant, meaningful, roles in history – whose names have been forgotten. When you’re walking the campus of C.W. Post, everyone knows the name, but I don’t know that as many Americans know the name Marjorie Merriweather Post and just the extent of her legacy.”
Pataki’s effort to keep the names of important women in history is far from over, as she has a book about the life of American feminist Margaret Fuller coming out in June.
As for her final thoughts on Marjorie Merriweather Post?
“I think if she were alive today, we’d all want to vote for Marjorie for president,” Pataki said. “I wish I had a bracelet that said ‘What would Marjorie do?’ I always say she’s like Forrest Gump, but with better homes and with better clothing. She was on the front lines of history.”
