User:MaynardClark/Saiom Nellie Shriver

Nellie Saiom Bertsch Shriver (August 24, 1942 – January 12, 2023) was an influential American animal rights activist and pioneer in the vegan movement. She is best known for introducing Alex Hershaft, a prominent Holocaust survivor and animal rights advocate, to vegan activism. Shriver dedicated her life to the cause of animal rights and played a critical role in raising awareness of animal cruelty and the benefits of a vegan lifestyle.

Early Life
Nellie Saiom Shriver was born in 1942 in the United States. Information about her early life, family background, and education remains scarce. Despite this, it is known that Shriver was an ardent animal lover since her childhood and would eventually commit her life to animal rights activism and veganism. She became vegetarian at age nine at a 1951 Fourth of July celebration, from revulsion at the carnage.

Nellie Bertsch became Nellie Shriver through a 1965 marriage to Ross Chalfant Shriver. During their marriage of 10 years, she raised two stepchildren, David and Julia, his two children from a previous marriage. Nellie Shriver later briefly was married a second time.

Career
Shriver began her career in the early 1970s, working on behalf of animals and advocating for a cruelty-free lifestyle. She was involved in several animal rights organizations and initiatives over the years, tirelessly raising awareness about animal cruelty and promoting the benefits of a plant-based diet.

In 1975, Shriver played a pivotal role in the life of Alex Hershaft, a Holocaust survivor and future animal rights leader. Shriver introduced Hershaft to the concept of veganism and its moral implications. This encounter deeply impacted Hershaft and set him on a path to becoming a pioneering figure in the animal rights movement, ultimately founding the Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) in 1981.

Legacy
Nellie Saiom Shriver's influence on the animal rights movement, particularly through her introduction of Alex Hershaft to vegan activism, is undeniable. Her passion and dedication to the cause helped shape the modern animal rights movement and significantly contributed to the growing awareness of animal cruelty and the benefits of a vegan lifestyle.

Shriver passed away on January 22, 2023, at the age of 80, of breast cancer, at the Copley Nursing Health Care Center in Copley, Ohio. She is survived by her siblings and her first husband, Ross Chalfant Shriver of West Virginia, and his two children from a previous marriage. Her work continues to inspire generations of animal rights activists and serves as a testament to the power of individual action in shaping the world.

Writings
Other than activist literature, Shriver authored more than 4,000 poems published online, but most of them, published online, have been lost. Her mother, Nellie S. Bertsch, was also a poet and longtime first grade teacher who died at age 88 in 2004.