madelyn lee payne was born in peru, kansas. she was the eldest of four children. her younger brother was charles t. payne. their parents were rolla charles "r.c." payne (august 23, 1892 – october 15, 1968) and leona belle (mccurry) payne (may 7, 1897 – march 22, 1968). in barack obama's memoir, "dreams from my father", he describes them as "stern methodist parents who did not believe in drinking, playing cards or dancing." she moved with her parents to augusta, kansas at the age of three. madelyn was one of the best students at augusta high school. she graduated from there in 1940.