Overview
This scholar is fully booked through 2023. This scholar will be available in 2024 for booking.
You may also book them outside of any Illinois Humanities affiliation using the contact information provided in the “Book This Road Scholar” section below.
A huge proponent of writing memoirs, Cyndee Schaffer is an author, educator, and IT consultant. She’s been a Road Scholar since 2015, presenting over 350 programs throughout Illinois about women in the military in WWII. A knowledgeable and passionate speaker, she shares the story of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) through her mother’s memoirs and how WAC shaped future generations of women joining the military.
Cyndee Schaffer’s Presentations:
Learn More about Cyndee Schaffer
Cyndee briefly describes herself and her program…
Presentation 1
The Journey of Mollie’s War: WACs and WWII
Cyndee uses excerpts from her mother’s letters written home during WWII to provide a romantic yet frightful glimpse into the life of a woman in uniform during this crucial time in history.
Cyndee will detail her mother’s experiences from basic training in 1943 to a dramatic image of seeing the Statue of Liberty in the midst of darkness in November 1945 when she returned home.
Program Topics
- Women
- History
- Literature
- Labor
Program Logistics
The presentation takes approximately 60 minutes, including a Q and A with the audience. Audio and visuals are presented via PowerPoint. No equipment is required.
About the Road Scholar
Cyndee Schaffer is co-author of the award-winning Mollie’s War, a collaboration with her 91-year-old mother based on the letters that her mother sent home to family while serving in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC), stationed in Europe during WWII.
Cyndee received a BS in math education from Northwestern University and an MS in curriculum development from DePaul University. Cyndee’s work experience has taken her into three divergent careers: high school math teacher in the inner city of Chicago, IT consultant on the “human side” of computers—testing computer systems, writing training materials, training users and being the go-between for users and programmers, and, finally, author.
Learn More and Follow Cyndee
Book this Road Scholar
Follow the steps below to book a presentation.
Step 1
Contact Jamie to schedule a date and time via email at cyndeeschaffer@gmail.com or phone at (847) 917-4125.
Step 2
Once you and Jamie have agreed upon a date and time, complete the Road Scholars Host Organization application.