(CNN) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, is now a place we unfortunately will be compelled to remember for years. Here is some background on the school's namesake, a journalist and environmentalist who was once bestowed the highest civilian honor in the country.

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Marjory Stoneman Douglas was in important figure in Florida's history , and is most noted for her work in championing the Everglades, the vast 1.5 million acre area of wetlands that is the defining environmental feature of South Florida.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas (1890 - 1998)

Along with her work as a conservationist and environmental activist, she was also a writer, journalist and an avowed feminist. She began her career at the Miami Herald in 1915 and eventually wrote several well-regarded books, including "The Everglades: River of Grass" (1947) and her autobiography, "Voice of the River" (1987).

In addition to her written work, Douglas brought her passion for and vast knowledge of the Everglades into the political sphere. She formed the "Friends of the Everglades " in 1969, a society that advocates for the protection of the Everglades through legislation and education.

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