Daffy Yum - Jellybean

Aurora Jellybean, nee Virginia Shaw, is mentioned in the Author's Notes in Cowgirls. My first thought was that Tom had named Bonanza Jellybean after her, but it seems to have been the other way around, although Aurora came first.

Born in Seattle in 1944, Shaw studied art at the University of Washington and Cornish College of the Arts, then found her way up to Skagit Valley to become a kind of legend around La Conner. Her paintings were included in many regional exhibits of the period. "She really said no to nothing," Rust said. "I think Tom Robbins named her. She officially changed her name to Aurora in about 1970, and then had this amazing kind of life. She was quite beautiful and smart."

Quote from Celebrating a life through light-filled art
By Sheila Farr
Seattle Times art critic