"It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a [person] stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope...."
— Robert F. Kennedy, in Day of Affirmation Speech, University of Capetown, 1966
47thPennVols is a published non-fiction author and humanities researcher-writer with a specific interest in U.S. and world history and, more specifically, in the history of the American Civil War, World War II and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. A native Pennsylvanian, she is a direct descendant of a member of the 47th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, and has been engaged for more than a decade in identifying and documenting the burial locations of members of the regiment and their immediate families, as well as in researching and writing about other aspects of the American Civil War. She has also interviewed and written about Pearl Harbor survivors for various news publications.
Additional interests include: Ancient Egypt, the art and artists of the Impressionist period, astronomy, French and German cuisines, solo and ensemble music of the Classical and Romantic periods, spirituality and world religions, and travel.
This Wikipedian has helped to improve more than 24,000 Wikipedia pages, has researched and created 93 new articles, and is a member of the following WikiProjects:
On behalf of the Milhist coordinators, you are hereby awarded this barnstar for your efforts during the April 2018 MILHIST Backlog Drive. Thank you for your contributions. AustralianRupert (talk) 09:18, 4 May 2018 (UTC)
On behalf of the Milhist coordinators, I hereby award you the WikiChevrons, for placing first in the April 2018 Military History Article Writing Contest with a total of 75 points from 14 articles. Well done and congratulations, AustralianRupert (talk) 11:06, 4 May 2018 (UTC)
On behalf of the Wikiproject Military History coordinators, I hereby award you the Writer's Barnstar for placing second in the September 2018Military History Article Writing Contest with 124 points from 22 articles. Congratulations, Kges1901 (talk) 09:46, 1 October 2018 (UTC)
Articles created or significantly edited and improved which have been awarded Good Article or "Did you know?" status:
William Henry Egle: State Librarian of Pennslvania (1887-1899) and author of numerous works about the history of the Great Keystone State, honored with Good Article status 2018-07-31
91st Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment: Volunteer infantry regiment from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which fought for the Union in multiple key engagements of the American Civil War, including the battles of Fredericksburg (1862), Chancellorsville and Gettysburg (1863), Overland Campaign (1864), Siege of Petersburg (1864-1865), and Appomattox Campaign (1865), honored with Good Article status 2018-12-10
Eliza Kennedy Smith: 20th-century American suffragist and Pittsburgh city government reform activist, created article for Women in Red wikiproject 2021-07-18, appeared in the "Did you know?" column on Wikipedia's main page 2021-08-04
Multiple other articles created and/or edited for the wikiprojects mentioned above, including:
Yvonne Chollet: Awarded the Médaille militaire (France's third highest honor) for her work as a French Resistance fighter during World War II, created 2018-04-15
Alexander H. Mitchell: Awarded both the Kearny Cross for his distinguished service in the Battle of Chancellorsville, Virginia during the American Civil War in May 1863 and his nation’s highest award for valor, the U.S. Medal of Honor, for his capture of a Confederate flag in hand-to-hand combat with the color-bearer of the 18th North Carolina Infantry during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House on May 12, 1864, created 2018-09-24
Cornelia Bryce Pinchot: A founding member of the Committee of 100 and major donor to the education and legal defense funds of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) during the organization's first years of operation, she became one of the most politically active first ladies in the history of Pennsylvania, created 2021-06-17
Mary Shapard: American author and peace activist who was nominated by United States Senator Morris Sheppard for the Nobel Peace Prize for her World War I-era recommendation that a nonpartisan "league of nations" be established by world leaders to reduce the likelihood of future armed conflicts between countries engaged in international disputes, created 2023-08-19
Mary Ann Tripp: First American woman to circumnavigate the earth and visit China, created 2018-05-03
Evelyn Tucker: Female member of "The Monuments Men," created 2018-04-06
Denise Vernay: Declared by the French government to be a Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur for her work as a French Resistance fighter during World War II, created 2018-04-21
William Henry Egle: State Librarian of Pennslvania (1887-1899) and author of numerous works about the history of the Great Keystone State, honored with Good Article status 2018-07-31
Eliza Kennedy Smith: 20th-century American suffragist and Pittsburgh city government reform activist, created article for Women in Red wikiproject 2021-07-18, appeared in the "Did you know?" column on Wikipedia's main page 2021-08-04