OSWEGO – The Oswego High School Drama Club was the first to sponsor “Independence: The True Story of Dr. Mary Walker.” A fundraiser to benefit other student activities, the fascinating one-woman show starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 5 at the school’s Robinson-Faust Theater, 2 Buccaneer Blvd., Oswego.
Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for students/youth and there is a small service fee for credit card pre-sales. Cash is accepted at the door if there are remaining tickets. Go to https://ohsdrama.ticketleap.com/drwalker/ to purchase tickets.
The Oswego County Historical Society (OCHS) and the Oswego County Dr. Mary Edwards Walker Celebratory Committee continued working to ensure that all Central New Yorkers have an opportunity to learn about the importance of this local trailblazer – who, among other things is the only woman to receive a U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor.
OCHS was able to secure a grant from New York State Council on the Arts to help cover the production’s greatest costs, such as travel and accommodations, which allowed a series of performances and workshops to be held in schools and other locations at a reduced cost.
Co-sponsored by ARTSwego, “Independence” also plays at SUNY Oswego’s Marano Campus Center Auditorium Room 132. The show begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2 and admission is free. Go to https://oswego.universitytickets.com/w/event.aspx?id=9609&p=1 to reserve a seat.
Another show is planned for 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7 at the Half-Shire Historical Society, 1100 Co. Rte. 48, Richland. Admission is free, although donations to the Half-Shire Historical Society are welcome and light refreshments will be served. Reservations are not required but may be made by email to Shawn Doyle at [email protected].
“Independence: The True Story of Dr. Mary Walker” is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the New York State Governor, the New York State Legislature and the Oswego County Legislature.
Securing funding to bring this show to Dr. Walker’s hometown has been a labor of love for historians, educators and community members.
It began when OCHS launched a fundraising campaign to finance a secure display of several of Dr. Walker’s artifacts, including her Medal of Honor. Its efforts paid off as many businesses in the icon’s hometown were excited to pitch in, and the Oswego County Legislature generously donated $10,000 to the project.
But it didn’t stop there. Once finished, a private viewing of the display in June included a dozen of Dr. Walker’s descendants who were moved to action. In particular, Tom and Linda Medaglia – whose uncle, Charles Courtland Hall, Jr., sadly passed away just months before the anticipated event. Deeply respectful and proud of his famous cousin, Hall had requested that his niece make a donation on his behalf to celebrate Dr. Walker.
While the display had been fully funded, OCHS was still looking for sponsors for the “Independence” production. Medaglia thought her uncle would have loved the idea of funding a show that helped promote awareness about Dr. Walker. Following his lead, many other family members also contributed to the show, making more free performances available to the public.
Written by Lloyd J. Schwartz and featuring actress Kathie Barnes, “Independence: The True Story of Dr. Mary Walker” tells the story of one of the most significant individuals in 19th century America.
Born in Oswego Town in 1832, Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was the second woman in the United States to get a medical degree as a surgeon before serving in the U.S. Civil War, for which she was awarded the Medal of Honor. She was a trailblazer for women’s rights, campaigning for equality of the sexes, especially a woman’s right to vote and to wear pants.
To this day, Dr. Mary Walker remains an inspiration to students; especially girls, who sometimes still need to feel equal to boy students in STEM subjects like math and science.
To learn more about Dr. Mary Walker, visit the Oswego County Historical Society at the Richardson-Bates House Museum, 135 E. Third St., Oswego, N.Y. or the Oswego Town Historical Society Museum, 2320 Co. Rte. 7, Oswego, N.Y.
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