From the revolutionary beginnings of the United States, Scottish-Americans have played pioneering, pivotal roles in its development. Their works, discoveries, and inventions have shaped not just the course of American history, but of world history. Scottish-Americans such as Thomas Edison, Woodrow Wilson, and Neil Armstrong have helped to advance society.
Now, June Skinner Sawyers, herself a Scottish-American, has compiled profiles of thirty such prominent figures in her new book, Famous Firsts of Scottish-Americans.
Ms. Sawyers has immersed herself in writing, often on Celtic topics, throughout her professional career. Currently an associate editor for Loyola University Press as well as an imprint and acquisitions editor for Wild Onion Books, she is also a contributing writer for the Chicago Tribune. She presently writes a biweekly column on travel books for the Tribune and has also written a bimonthly Celtic music column for the Scottish-American newspaper.
Her books include The Scots of Chicago: A History of the Illinois Saint Andrew Society and Its Impact on Illinois and The Celtic Roots of Southern Music.
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Ms. Sawyers received her bachelor of arts in English literature/British history from Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago. She also studied at the University of Chicago and Cambridge University in England. She currently resides in Chicago, Illinois