Clara Barton

About the Scholar/Presenter

Prior to her Chautauqua work, Storysmith® Susan Marie Frontczak built a storytelling repertoire on literature and history. Frontczak recognizes that Barton was a colorful storyteller of her own life, as evidenced by the vast stores of primary documents available through the Library of Congress, making for rich mining in bringing her story to life on the Chautauqua stage.

Frontczak has given over 850 presentations as Marie Curie, Mary Shelley, Eleanor Roosevelt, Irene Castle, Erma Bombeck, and Clara Barton across 43 of the United States and abroad. High Plains Chautauqua hosted the debut of Clara Barton in 2014, which has since traveled across the U.S.

Susan Marie is also dedicated to helping others bring history to life. She has been coaching storytellers since 1991, Young Chautauquans since 2005, and adults Chautauquans and other Living History presenters since 2008. She authored handbooks published by Colorado Humanities in 2008, one for teachers and one for coaches, to help Young Chautauquans discover how fun and engaging history can be. When bringing history to life, Susan Marie lives up to her motto, "Give me a place to stand, and I will take you somewhere else."