Lucile Morris Upton - Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks (This Hallowed Ground Speaker Series)

Once the Civil War was over, local people, veterans of the battle, and families of those who died began asking Washington to turn the battlefield into a park. After that, it took 100 years, and a wide variety of people from members of Congress to educators to students and a former President before the acreage became Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield.  Through most of those years, newspaperwoman Lucile Morris Upton reported on the various groups, decisions that were made, and generally helped move the effort forward. Susan Croce Kelly’s talk will focus on that saga.
______________

Susan Croce Kelly has been involved in the writing world most of her life. During the course of her career, she has been a newspaper reporter in St. Louis and Springfield, practiced public relations in the US and Europe, was editor of two magazines, an executive speechwriter, and authored three award-winning books.

Her newest book, Newspaperwoman of the Ozarks, won the Missouri Library Association’s 2024 Literary Award. She says the book speaks to her love of the rapidly disappearing newspaper world, and Ozarks history.

She grew up in the St. Louis suburbs, holds a bachelor’s degree from Purdue University, and a research master’s degree from Saint Louis University. Today she lives with her husband, Joel Kirkpatrick, and a black-and-white dog named Sunshine. They have three children and two perfect grandchildren.

______________
Join park staff and guest speakers at 1 pm every Sunday from July 6th through August 3rd to learn the history behind battlefield preservation efforts and commemoration. This series will engage visitors in the stories of people and events that saved places hallowed by the sacrifices of soldiers and civilians alike during and after the Civil War. Wilson's Creek National Battlefield is one of those places and this series is part of the remembrance of the 164th anniversary of the Battle of Wilson's Creek.