The Scholars

Walt Whitman scholar, Carrol D. Peterson is Senior Professor of English at Doane College, Crete, Nebraska, where he has taught since 1964. His doctoral dissertation was on the radical political theorist and novelist William Godwin, father of Mary Shelley. His special study is American and British writers of the past two hundred years. He began his Chautauqua experience in 1989 by presenting Thomas Paine. Since then he has presented Jack London and James Thurber, in addition to Walt Whitman. Carrol welcomes correspondence from Chautauqua audiences and his e-mail address is: cpeterson@Doane.edu

Herman Melville scholar, George Frein is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks. He spent 13 summers traveling through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas performing for the Great Plains Chautauqua Society. In addition to Herman Melville, he has portrayed the Jesuit missionary, Father De Smet, Henry Adams, and Mark Twain. George is a member of the National Chautauqua Tour, a group of humanities scholars who offer programs of historical characterization to the general public. George earned his Ph. D. from the Catholic University of America. He welcomes correspondence from Chautauqua audiences. He lives with his wife and two children at 943 Rutherford Road, Greenville, SC 29681. His e-mail address is gfrein@bellsouth.net

Nathaniel Hawthorne scholar, Doug Watson is professor of English and director of the honors program at Oklahoma Baptist University. He teaches courses in American Literature, Western civilization, poetry, classical literature, and children's literature. Watson has been involved with Chautauqua historical characterization programs since the summer of 1991, when he began to do Nathaniel Hawthorne for the Great Plains Chautauqua Society. Since then, he has also presented a Stephen Crane and Will Rogers. Including programs done for the History Alive series of the Kansas and Oklahoma state humanities councils, he has presented more than 250 programs since 1991. Doug is a native of Texas but has lived in Shawnee, Oklahoma since 1980. His wife, Kay, is a middle school English teacher. They have one daughter, Erin, a graduate of Bard College.

Henry David Thoreau scholar, Kevin Radaker is chair of the English Department at Anderson University in Anderson, Indiana. Kevin portrayed Thoreau for the Great Plains Chautauqua Society from 1991 to 1993. Since that time he has presented his Thoreau more than 150 times to audiences at schools, colleges, and libraries around the country. For three summer seasons Kevin performed as Thoreau for the Missouri and Illinois Chautauqua, "American Voices." Kevin lives with his wife Linda and their two boys in Anderson, Indiana and he welcomes correspondence with his audiences . His e-mail address is kradaker@anderson.deu

Louisa May Alcott scholar, Anne Bail Howard is Professor Emerita at the University of Nevada, Reno, where she has taught since completing academic work at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the University of New Mexico. She taught courses in American literature, particularly specializing in nineteenth century and women writers. Long interested in public humanities as a participant in programs and board member of the Nevada Humanities Committee, she has presented Louisa May Alcott and Kate Chopin in the mid-west with the Great Plains Chautauqua since 1991. She has more recently developed a characterization of Dorothy Parker. She welcomes notes from Chautauqua audiences on e-mail at abhoward@equinox.unr.edu