Bringing one unsung hero’s story to life

Tiffiny Durham, museum technician at the Fort Scott National Historic Site, portrays “Mother” Mary Bickerdyke as she interacts with students from Eugene Ware School during a presentation Monday at the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes.

Jason E. Silvers

The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes received a $2,145 interpretive grant from Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area for the project “Honoring Unsung Hero Mary Bickerdyke,” which tells the story of the Civil War-era nurse who was known as “Mother” and the “Cyclone in Calico.” The center collaborated with the historic site for the presentation on Bickerdyke. Tiffiny Durham, museum technician at the Fort Scott National Historic Site, engaged students as she taught them Monday about Bickerdyke’s efforts in aiding soldiers, as well as other aspects of her life and career.