Olive Frank Woolley was born to Agnes Forsyth and Jed F. Woolley on May 26, 1894 in Ann Arbor, Michigan where her father was attending the University of Michigan. In 1897 the family returned to Salt Lake City, Utah which became Mrs. Burt 's permanent home. While growing up in Salt Lake City and attending Utah schools she developed a keen interest in writing.
In 1913 Olive Woolley began teaching elementary school in Utah. During the next two years she taught in Garfield and Washington Counties while writing weekly columns for the local newspapers. She also found time to work on a college degree through correspondence courses with the University of Utah. Olive F. Woolley received her bachelor's degree in 1918. After receiving her degree Mrs. Burt began teaching high school English.
On June 7, 1922, Olive F. Woolley and Clinton Ray Burt were married. In 1927 she quit teaching to take a full-time position as children's feature editor for the Salt Lake Tribune. During the next fifteen years Mrs. Burt originated and conducted the "School News and Views" junior journalism program, which published articles by and for children. Mrs. Burt acted as the Salt Lake Tribune librarian from 1942 to 1945 when she resigned to establish her own office as a commercial writer. As well as conducting her own business from 1945 to 1947, Mrs. Burt was editor of the Utah Magazine. In 1947 Mrs. Burt became a staff member of the Deseret News, a position she held until her retirement in 1957.
Even while working on the Tribune and the Deseret News and raising three children, Mrs. Burt continued to write juvenile literature. Her efforts were so well received that, in 1945, she was given the Louis Larsen Award for the outstanding Utah author. Her writing continued to receive recognition from local and national groups.
