A Road Scholar program by Leslie Goddard

Before she rose to international celebrity with the publication of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott published Hospital Sketches, a remarkably engaging account of her turn as a nurse for wounded soldiers during the winter of 1862-63. Drawn from her account, this program includes the humor and pathos typical of Alcott and reveals much about women’s lives during the American Civil War. Alcott discusses the medical care soldiers received, the crucial bonds between home front and battlefield, changing attitudes towards race, and the path-breaking role played by women who transformed the all-male profession of nursing during the America’s brutal Civil War.

Leslie Goddard is currently an independent scholar and educator at the Elmhurst Historical Museum. She earned her PhD from Northwestern University in an interdisciplinary field of study that covered US history, women’s studies, and theater. An award winning scholar, Goddard also has extensive experience in public programs which includes lectures at Chicago area museums and historical societies, civic organizations, schools, and retirement homes.

For more information contact Patsy A. Hucksold, 630.832.0138.