C. Kay Larson

C. Kay Larson, an independent scholar and Midwest native, has been a Civil War buff since childhood. In 2004, she published Great Necessities: The Life, Times, and Writings of Anna Ella Carroll, 1815-1894. Carroll was a political/legal advisor to Pres. Abraham Lincoln and Gov. Thomas H. Hicks, playing a critical role in keeping Maryland loyal during the secession crisis of 1861, as well as in the planning of the Tennessee River military campaign of 1862.

Based on research expanded from her Carroll research, Larson published articles on women's nontraditional roles in the Civil War (MINERVA: Quarterly Report on Women and the Military, Spring 1990/Summer 1992). She is the editor of "Springing to the Call: A Documentary View of Women in the American Civil War," (www.nymas.org.civilwarwomen.html) that resides on the webpage of the NY Military Affairs Symposium on the board of which Larson serves.

Inspired by the information collected for her website, in 2005, Larson developed a composite character, Nell Churchill, and turned her into the heroine of her very fact-based work of fiction, South Under a Prairie Sky: The Journal o Nell Churchill, US Army Nurse & Scout. Larson's wide knowledge of Midwest culture and the Civil War blends with family and local history to create this realistic account of a young Illinois woman gone to war.

In 1993, when the World War II 50th Anniversary commemorative period commenced, Larson became involved through the Coast Guard Auxiliary. While researching the Auxiliary's role in the war in newspaper accounts, she encountered mentions of women that surprised her. It was also clear that like the Civil War nurses, those of WWII were combat nurses. Hence Larson determined that a military history of women's war work was needed. Thus, in 1995, Minerva Press published her first book, 'Til I Come Marching Home: A Brief History of American Women in World War II. In it she uncovered roles not previously well known: women conducting antisubmarine patrols as members of the Civil Air Patrol and U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary; women merchant mariners; American women resistance workers, etc. Given that the work came out during the WWII commemoration period, it was an instant hit and eventually completely sold out. An expanded version is slated for publication with McFarland Press. An updated summary article can be found also at the NYMAS site.

Larson specializes generally in early American political, military, maritime, and women's history. She holds a B.A. degree, cum laude, in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an M.B.A. from Baruch College (CUNY). For a decade she was active in foreign policy circles, notably working for an NGO heavily involved in the Northern Ireland Peace Process; previous to that she held executive staff and consulting positions in New York City and State governments.

For readers' comments and more book information see the description material on her Amazon book pages.