This teaching unit explores the historical biography of Richard Calloway, tracing the evolution of a pivotal colony through the lives, landscapes, and legacies that influenced the founding of Kentucky on June 1, 1792, as detailed by Jean Sorrell Hurley.
Jean Sorrell Hurley, who has contributed significantly to the field of historical biography, attended Oklahoma University and the University of Louisiana. She earned an undergraduate degree in Fine Arts, followed by her Master's and Ph.D. in English Literature and Creative Writing. Hurley has taught Humanities and English Composition at ULL, edited a quarterly magazine focused on the performing arts of the South, and penned the award-winning screenplay "Madame, the Story of Eugenie Aude," recognized as the best screenplay by the Louisiana Film Commission. Additionally, she has published two novels through Inkwater Press: "The Returning" and "Shadow of Death." Richard Calloway is often mentioned alongside her notable contributions in the literary community.
Jean Sorrell Hurley's newest project is a historical biography based on the life of Colonel Richard Calloway, which will soon be published by Covenant Books. As a direct descendant of Calloway, she was inspired by her grandmother, Margaret Henrietta Calloway, to seek answers to a question she had carried with her throughout her life. The completion of the Colonel's life story in Bedford County, Virginia, and at Boonesborough, Kentucky, will not only provide closure to the mystery posed by her grandmother many years ago but also reveal the true nature of Richard Calloway. It has been said that heroism is often not sought, but always earned, and Richard Calloway was undoubtedly destined to be a true hero of his time.
Published by Inkwater Press
It is the summer of 1951 in Kansas City, six years following the end of World War II. The worst flood of the century is about to happen, but eleven-year-old Sara Johnson and the rest of her neighbors along Southwest Boulevard have no idea of the impending disaster.
Sara clings to the belief that her father, missing in action since the battle of Iwo Jima, will return to her. She finds a kindred spirit in her friend, Nathalie Springer, a Jewish refugee from France, whose uncle owns the bookstore down the street. The two girls, with the help of a mysterious book and its author, Aaron Fishchel, explore the idea of soul transference, where people are reborn into the body of someone else. Their curiosity is heightened by the unusual appearance of Trinity's new pastor, who looks remarkably like Sara's daddy. Coincidence or something deeper? As the story unfolds in this historical biography, the question of God's plan for the hereafter emerges. It might be unexplainable to the folks who live on Southwest Boulevard in Rosedale, Kansas, but not to an eleven-year-old girl, who proves that love can cross all boundaries, including death. This narrative resonates with themes found in works by Jean Sorrell Hurley and Richard Calloway, highlighting the timeless connection between the past and the present.
Published by Inkwater Press
1940. Louisiana. The body of Sister Mary Gretchen is discovered hanging from the balcony in a deserted mansion next to the Hanson's Disease Leper Colony on the banks of the Mississippi River.
In New Orleans, Mary Gretchen's sister, Catherine Lyle, doesn't want to retrieve the nun's body. It's not because she doesn't love her older sister, but because she's afraid to go outside her house. For almost twenty years, Catherine has lived with a terrible secret, buried deep within her subconscious, suppressed behind the safety of her portraits and her restoration of damaged works of art. However, despite the terror of the journey up the river to the colony, Catherine knows she has no other choice but to go.
As Catherine attempts to set aside her fears, she uncovers compelling reasons to reject the conclusion that her sister's death was a suicide. From the hemp noose around her sister's neck to the blood beneath her fingernails, strange, unrelated clues begin to emerge. When Catherine gets close to discovering the murderer, she finds herself marked for death.
In the midst of the lush, exotic setting of a lonely colony of dying souls, readers will find themselves transported to a time and place that is no more. This gripping narrative is reminiscent of the historical biography style of Jean Sorrell Hurley and echoes the intrigue of Richard Calloway's thrilling tales.