Civil War re-enactors tell students of era’s grievous impact

It’s an interdisciplinary approach that lets students in a Death, Dying and Loss class learn about history and music at the same time.

Prof. Illene Noppe, founder of the UW-Green Bay Institute on Death, Dying and Bereavement, sets an example by inviting Civil War re-enactor Pat Wright to speak to her two Death, Dying and Loss classes.

During her most recent visit Wright, a social worker for Shawano Community Hospice, dressed the part of a mourning Civil War-era widow and explained how the war changed the era’s view on dying and mourning.

“I thought it was important for students to see that something that happened 150 years ago still has an impact today,” Noppe says. “Some of the issues people are facing today are similar to what people were dealing with back then.”

Wright explained how the immense death toll from the war — about 620,000 American soldiers, more than both World Wars combined — completely changed how people thought about death.

“It was a turning point in a sense that the Civil War was an era when people started focusing in on the loss of the survivors,” Noppe says. “Before that, it was all about sending the (deceased’s) soul to salvation. People didn’t understand that mourning took a profound toll on survivors. That’s something we strongly consider now — the impact on the survivors.”

Wright was accompanied by Irma Timmens, who played vintage music on her violin. The two also read poetry and showed jewelry of the era.

“This was a great example of a UW-Green Bay interdisciplinary education,” Noppe said. They were doing history, they did music, they did poetry and showed jewelry. This all tied into talking about death and grief and loss in class. The students really seemed to appreciate it.”