Episode 147 - Ordinary Extraordinary Teachers of the Past

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Children in many parts of the U.S. gathered their supplies and donned their backpacks, as they headed back to school. Many more will be doing so in the next coming weeks both here in the U.S. and around the world as summer comes to its official end. This inspired us to share the stories of some teachers from the past and some of the challenges they faced. Join us for the Ordinary Extraordinary stories of two teachers who impacted their students and the communities in which they worked. First, we meet Sister Blandina who helped tame the wild west through her gentle ways as both a school teacher and a nurse. She even gained the trust and respect of the notorious Billy the Kid! Next, we travel south to the Appalachian mountains to recall the fond memories of Leonora Whitaker Wood and her time spent teaching in a mission school off the beaten path. Her stories inspired her daughter Catherine Marshall, to publish the novel Christy, based on many of her experiences as a teacher in the early 1900s.

To purchase tickets to the 34th annual Gilpin County Historical Society Cemetery Crawl, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gilpin-historical-society-34th-annual-cemetery-crawl-tickets-657128116887

To purchase tickets to the third annual Beyond the Grave: an evening with Bram Stoker, click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/beyond-the-grave-an-evening-with-bram-stoker-tickets-696195337997?aff=oddtdtcreator

To preorder The Souls Close to Edgar Allan Poe: Graves of his Family, Friends and Foes, through a local bookseller visit: https://bookshop.org/search?keywords=Souls+Close+to+Edgar+Allan+Poe%2C+The%3A+Graves+of+His+Family%2C+Friends+and+Foes

Photos:
Sister Blandina - Sisters of Charity/https://www.srcharitycinti.org/2021/01/21/the-journey-to-sainthood/
Grave of Sister Blandina - Sister Joyce Brehm/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62719319/blandina-maria_rosa-segale/photo#view-photo=226238630
Leonora Whitaker Wood - Leonora Wood at the Mission compound. From the Emma Wood Hoskins collection./https://christyfestinthesmokies.wordpress.com/historian/
Grave of Leonora Whitaker Wood - Steve Brannan/https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/103604967/leonora-haseltine-wood

Resources used to research this episode include:

, San Felipe De Neri Parish. "Servant of God Sister Blandina." https://sanfelipedeneri.org/. sanfelipedeneri.org/sister-blandina. Accessed 13 Aug. 2023.

Segale, SC, Sister Blandina. At the End of the Santa Fe Trail. 2014th ed., 1932. Cincinnati, Sisters of Charity , 2014.

Shirley, Gayle C. More than Petticoats: Remarkable Colrado Women. 1st ed., Kearney, Morris Book Publishing Company , 2002, pp. 32-44.

, Christyfest In The Smokies. "Leonora: The Real Christy ." https://christyfestinthesmokies.wordpress.com/. christyfestinthesmokies.wordpress.com/historian/. Accessed 13 Aug. 2023.

Martin, Christy. "Christy, the Favorite of Appalachia ." https://thesouthernvoice.com/. 10 Oct. 2022. thesouthernvoice.com/christy-the-favorite-of-appalachia/. Accessed 13 Aug. 2023.

Tabler, Dave. "Christy and Leonora: City Girl, Country Gal ." https://www.appalachianhistory.net. 3 Nov. 2011. www.appalach