Clara Barton PORTRAYED BY PAT JORDAN
Clara Barton was a strong-willed, intelligent individual who knew what she wanted and found ways to accomplish her goals. Clara found her calling early in life, nursing wounded birds and cats, as well as her friends’ injured pets. With the outbreak of the War between the States, she answered Abraham Lincoln’s call, signing on to support the Union efforts during the Civil War, frequently going to the front line. Articulate and determined, this Angel of the Battlefield frequently wrote newspaper pleas for blankets, money and/or food and stockpiled what she received in a large room she rented. Meeting a young man in military prison who was keeping records of the people who died, she secured permission to create a pamphlet in the New York Times with 11,000 names, identifying many missing soldiers and locating their families. As the founder and first president of the American Red Cross, this humanitarian assisted hurricane and tidal wave victims, always with the principle in mind to help people until they are able to help themselves.
Clara’s willingness to step forward in a time of great conflict and bring relief to thousands of injured soldiers, as well as victims of later natural disasters, is a lesson in clear-eyed decision-making and single-minded determination. Clara’s ability to overcome her extreme shyness in her youth in order to fight for the right with quick wit and courage is tremendously engaging. Complex and fascinating, this amazing woman will keep you wondering what will happen next!
More than a century after her death, school children continue to choose Clara Barton as the individual they talk about at ‘show and tell’. Her careers in education, nursing and disaster relief spanned nearly seventy years, and the American Red Cross continues to aid people facing disasters throughout the world.
Invite Clara Barton to your event: • Keynote Speaker: Women’s Issues, Civil War, and other topics on request •Educational Programs: Schools, Libraries, Museums, Historical Sites.
Pat Jordan: Bio Actor/Historian, Interpreter, Reenactor, Impersonator
Pat Jordan in performance as Clara Barton. Photo by Mike De Jesus of the Patterson Times.