Ethel Preston, sister to Keith, was a high school teacher, college professor, writer, linguist, concert pianist, harpsichordist and artist. Graduating with Phi Beta Kappa honors, she completed her bachelor's degree in three years, received her Masters degree at the end of her fourth year and graduated magna cum laude with a PhD in Romance languages in 1920, all at the University of Chicago. She often toured a and studied in Europe and was a pupil of harpsichordist Wanda Landow Scott in Europe and America. Her doctoral thesis on Balzac, written in French, was published in France where she was considered an authority on this author. She received several awards from the French government for her services to that country, including one awarded her by President Charles de Gaulle. Ethel taught at the high school level for more than 15 years and in 1939 became a professor of Romance Languages and later department head at Vincennes University until her retirement in 1959.

Ethyl never married.