Southern civil rights activist, licensed pilot, charm school headmaster, philanthropist and writer Letitia Jones Sherman — known as Leigh Sherman, a La Jolla resident since 1985 — didn’t take kindly to stereotypes of 20th-century femininity. On Aug. 17, Sherman passed away peacefully in her home at age 91, leaving behind four children, 11 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, a brother and a legacy of fearlessly breaking boundaries. Sherman was born Florence Letitia Jones in 1918 in Youngstown, Ohio and moved to Little Rock, Ark. at age 20, where she eventually became a single working mother to four children. Her daughter, Letitia Sorensen, remembers her mother as a strong, independent role model. “She was very hardworking and conscientious about providing for her family,” Sorensen said. “She regretted having to spend time away, but she was a very strong woman.” Drawing upon her experience as a model, Sherman founded a charm school to teach etiquette and modeling skills to local girls. “She was a very beautiful woman with many admirers,” Sorensen recalled. During her time in the South, Sherman became a licensed pilot and was active in the Civil Rights movement, joining a women’s committee dedicated to reopening schools after they closed in 1957 in an attempt to avoid desegregation. She also helped support the famous “Little Rock Nine” as they became the first group of African-American students to enter Little Rock High School. “If you were white and you did that in the South, they had a certain term for you that was pretty derogative,” Sorensen said. “She was brave to stand up for their rights.” Sherman moved to La Jolla in 1985 after her children were grown, fulfilling a dream she had cherished since first visiting the area as a teenager in 1938. She was also a writer, joined the National League of American Pen Women and drafted her autobiography, “The 20th Century and Me.” A prominent figure in the local community, Sherman was involved with the Social Service League of La Jolla, spearheading fundraising efforts for the League House by recruiting speakers and planning charity events. At age 75, Sherman went hang gliding at the Torrey Pines Gliderport “just to prove she could do it,” Sorensen said. A few years later, she took a hot air balloon ride. “She was very free-spirited,” Sorensen said. “She did things with no hesitation. Whatever she had it in her mind to do, she was determined and she found a way to do it.” Sherman’s friends and family will commemorate her life today, Aug. 26, from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Darlington House, 7441 Olivetas Ave. Donations may be made in Sherman’s memory to the Social Service League of La Jolla. Call (858) 454-5266 for more information.