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THE (GOOGLE) SEARCH FOR MRS. VIVAN SCHURFRANZ: TEACHER, HISTORIAN, AUTHOR

By Dan Durning

A few months ago, with the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War approaching, I decided to read some books about its origin and history. First up was the Pulizer Prize winning book, Battle Cry of Freedom, by James McPherson, an extraodinary, sweeping history of the war and its origins. Next came an enlightening set of essays in the book, The Die is Cast: Arkansas Goes to War 1861, edited by Mark Christ. Besides surprising me about how little I know about the Civil War, these two books reminded me of the history course I took in 1960-1961 at Hillcrest Junior High School (Fayetteville, Arkansas) from Mrs. Vivian Schurfranz. In this course, we studied the history of the Civil War, and the topic received special emphasis because the 100th anniversary of the war's beginning was being observed with some hoopla throughout the United States. Thinking back about the course, I do not recall being too enthralled by Civil War history, though I had fun putting together a big report on it, full of pictures (surely I have it in storage somewhere). However, I do remember something that, in retrospect, was remarkable about the course: the absence of glorifying the Southern cause. Mrs. Schurfranz taught about the Civil War in an engaging and non-ideological way even though the symbols of the old Confederacy were all around us: at least one school in the area was named after Robert E Lee, the mascot for some schools in the area was "the Rebels," and the fight song for University of Arkansas was "Dixie." The state of Arkansas celebrated Lee's birthday as a state holiday. And, of course, the legacy of the Civil War was still visible in the continuing resistance to the integration of schools in most of Northwest Arkansas. Soon after I fondly recalled Mrs. Schurfranz and her teaching of the Civil War, I found several issues of the Hillcrest Smoke Signals, the "newspaper" published by Hillcrest Junior High School students in the early 1960s. In one issue, probably printed in May 1961, I spotted this story: TWO TEACHERS RESIGN POSITIONS By Barbara Hoke

Mrs. Vivian Schurfranz, American History teacher, will no longer teach at Hillcrest after this year. She has made writing for publication her new career. She feels that she needs more time to devote to writing. Since 1961, she has written fifteen stories which have been published. She has also started a book about the barbarians in Medieval Europe, of which she has finished one chapter.

Reading this short article, I began to wonder what had happened to Mrs. Schurfranz after she left Hillcrest in 1961? Had she been successful as a writer? Where did she end up? Thus began the (Google) search for Mrs. Schurfranz. The following is what I found.

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First the Basics Vivian R. Zack was born in Mason City, Iowa on July 12, 1925. Her father was Michael Frank Zack and her mother was Alma (Gjallefald) Zack. She earned a two-year teaching certificate at Iowa State Teachers College in 1945, and soon after went to study at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. She earned a M.Ed degree from UNC in 1954. After that, she taught in North Carolina for a few years before moving to Fayetteville. In North Carolina, she met her future husband, Robert L. Schurfranz, who received a Ph.D. from UNC in French or Linguistics. Most likely, she came to Fayetteville with him when he received a faculty appointment at the University of Arkansas (I have not documented this faculty appointment). She and her husand were divorced in 1965. After leaving Hillcrest following the 1960-61 academic year, Mrs. Schurfranz not only continued to write, but also began her studies for a masters degree in history at UA. (That explains why she taught the first course I took at UA, Introduction to Western Civilization, in Summer 1965). She received an MA in history in 1967. Soon after that, she moved to Wilmette, Illinois, where (I think) she still lives. Her Writing Career After her move to Illinois, Mrs. Schurfranz had a remarkably prolific career as a writer of historical fiction and historical romances for juveniles (mostly pre-teen). In all, she had at least 19 of her books published, plus at least 50 short stories published in magazines. Most of the books can still be purchased through on-line book sites such as Amazon. The list of her published books include: Historical Novels: Roman Hostage 1975 The Castle Murder 1984 The Mansion Murder 1984 Amanda, the Cut Up 1980 A Different Kind of Friend 1990 Another Time, Another Love 1995 A Message for General Washington: Stories of the States 1998 Historical Romances (Sunfire Series) Danielle 1984 Laura 1985 Cassie 1985 Megan 1986 Julie 1986 Rachel 1986 Heather 1987 Merrie 1987 Jose 1988 Renee 1989

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Historical Romance (Cheerleaders Series) Overboard 1988! Boxcar Children Series Mystery of the Motel Mystery of the Mixed-Up Zoo Probably her best reviewed books were her first, Roman Hostage (published by Follett Pub. Co.), and her last, A Message for General Washington (published by Silver Moon Press) . Both books remain in libraries and on reading lists for pre-teens.

Set in the 4th century, Roman Hostage is about Ruric, a young Visigoth, who, unable to adjust to his life as a hostage in Constantinople, escapes back to his tribe and participates in the battle that brought a

major victory to his people.

The School Library Journal published this review of A Message for General Washington: "Grades 3-4. Easy-to-read historical fiction with a strong plot and understandable characters. Hannah, 12, is asked to travel from her home in Yorktown to nearby Williamsburg to deliver a message to General Washington. The trip is perilous, with traitors and spies ready to turn her in. She completes the journey successfully, meets Washington, and arrives home to see the war end. Subplots involving the fate of her father, who is fighting with Washington, and her strained relationship with her older sister save the story from being too plot-driven with hard-to-believe heroics. This book may lead reluctant readers on to more complex novels about the American Revolution.-Linda Beck, Indian Valley Public Library, Telford, PA" From 1984 to 1989, Mrs. Schurfranz wrote ten books that were part of a series of historical romances for pre-teens to early teens. Her last one, Renee, won a 1990 RITA award for best book for young adults (http://www.romancewiki.com/1990_RITA%C2%AE_Winners). Below are pictures of the covers of

seven of these books, published by Scholastic Press.

16. 23.

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http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/vivian-schurfranz/

To get a feel for the plots of these historical romances for juveniles, here are the plot summaries for a

few of them, taken from http://www.goodreads.com/author/list/84268.Vivian_Schurfranz

Cassie: Her love was as wild and untamable as the frontier itself. Her brave heart is torn between two worlds.

Ever since blonde Cassie Stevens was captured by the Indians at the age of four she has loved her Iroquois family,

and at fifteen she can shoot and ride as well as any warrior. Then her world is destroyed when passion drives her

from the only home she knows. Where does Cassie truly belong? In the arms of the handsome and adventurous

fur trapper Joshua, or in the town where she was born, with Ben who mistrusts her Indian spirit?

Danielle: Twice she'd lost her heart, but who was her life-long love? It is 1814 when New Orleans beauty Danielle Verlaine helps Geoffrey, a young pirate, escape from her family's plantation and the authorities. Immediately she is captivated by his dashing good looks and dangerous lifestyle. While her fiancé, Paul, is both handsome and sweet, Danielle yearns for something more. Her chance comes when the pirate's kidnap her and hold her for ransom. Danielle comes face to face with Geoffrey again. A love stirs inside her, and the spirited Danielle must decide between a comfortable life with Paul or an adventure as a pirate queen. Laura: There was a fierce war raging abroad, and another in her heart. While men are fighting overseas in World War I, lovely Laura Mitchell is caught up in the struggle for women's rights in the Washington, D. C. of 1918. Dismayed by her willingness to go to jail for her beliefs, Laura's mother and sister encourage her to pay more attention to her suitors. Laura only has eyes for her neighbor Joe Menotti, who treats her like a kid sister. But her brother's friend, Shawn O'Brien, sweeps her off her feet with his Irish charm and dashing good looks. Yet everyone but Joe wants her to give up her ideals. Should she change herself, try to change the man she loves, or follow her conscience to the man who is waiting with open arms? Rachel: America promised her a new life and a new love. Can she be true to her heritage and to the boy she loves? It is 1910 and 16-year-old Rachel Roth and her family are immigrants from Poland to America. When Rachel sees the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, she catches her breath. The magnificent statue seems to promise her a better life. While life in bustling New York City turns out to be hard, Rachel is happy with her new country and her job at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Unaware that a tragedy at the factory is about to happen, Rachel thrives on the admiration of handsome Joshua Fine, who wants a traditional home with her by his side. But when Rachel meets Nathan Meyers, an energetic reporter who loves her and wants her to be as modern, as American, as he is, Rachel is uncertain. To be American, must she give up her past? Will her heritage, or her heart, determine the boy she loves?

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Conclusion Mrs. Schurfranz left her teaching position at Hillcrest in 1961 because she had a dream to be a writer of historical fiction for juveniles. As a writer, she continued teaching -- though in a different way -- and she made use of her knowledge of history and her experience as a teacher. As one of her former students, it was great pleasure to learn, belatedly, that she was able to achieve her dream. Clearly, she was a successful writer, publishing nineteen books and over fifty articles from 1975 to 1989. I hope that she continues to enjoy reading and writing, and that she knows many of former students still remember her with fondness and respect. To provide a flavor of Mrs. Schurfranz's early fiction, I have attached a short story of hers that was published in the same Hillcrest Smoke Signals (vol. 6, 1961) that had printed the announcement that she would not be returning to Hillcrest after the end of the 1960-61 academic year. It is titled, "The Rebellious Scribe."

Dan Durning Birch Bay, Washington May 3, 2011

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