The Savanna Historical Society will present “The Journey to Mollie’s War: WACS and WWII” at Savanna Museum and Cultural Center, 406 Main Street, Savanna, IL, on Sunday, March 8, 2020. The program begins at 2:00 p.m.
A presentation by Cyndee Schaffer draws on letters from her mother, Mollie Weinstein Schaffer, who was a member of the Women’s Army Corps (WACS) during WWII. At that time, WACS served in various, noncombat capacities at Army bases. They were assigned to replace soldiers for overseas duty, based on the need at Army camps/posts. Most were placed in clerical jobs.
However, some performed nontraditional jobs such as radio operators, electricians, and air-traffic controllers.
The program follows Mollie in Europe. It traces the footsteps of the women who were stationed in London before D-Day and during the post D-Day German buzz bomb attacks.
Cyndee Schaffer is a published author of the awarding winning book, Mollie’s War and is Editor of the monthly Midwest Writers Association newsletter. She received a BS in Math Education from Northwestern University and a MS in Curriculum Development from DePaul University. A retired Math teacher, she worked in the inner city of Chicago, IL. She wrote, co-wrote, and edited several mathematics textbooks. Schaffer also is an IT consultant.
In 2008, she collaborated with her 92-year-old mother to write a book based on letters that her mother sent home while serving as a WAC.
The Illinois Humanities Council helped provide assistance for the Historical Society to bring this outstanding program to our area. The program is open to the public. A suggested donation is $8.