Pauline “Polly" Mead was born on Jan. 30, 1904, in Longmont, Colorado to Paul and Ariet Mead. She was the couple’s sixth child out of eight. Her parents founded the town of Mead, Colorado, in 1906. The family moved to Berthoud, Colorado, where Pauline attended a one-room schoolhouse. Around 1920 she moved to Chicago to live with her aunt and uncle while attending University of Chicago High School. As a student, she sat next to Bertha Mather (daughter of NPS Director Stephen T. Mather) in the library. She graduated from there in 1924.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service