Kat Bowman

WCT II

8 Feb 2020

Tour around Greensburg

Here’s the story of me over-booking myself and then fixing it. So to begin I was drafted

by the Historical Time Commission, Past, Present and Future Dead Division or PPFDD for short.

My assignment was to prove to three different historical figures that things would get better in

the future and that their stories were not forgotten. When I filled out the appropriate paperwork I

thought I scheduled them for three separate days but I did not. So The first hour of the trio being

in this time period was spent with them in a room together while I straighten this out. I am sorry

to say that the only male in the group attempt to mansplain the purpose of the tour to the other

women. When I and the agent in charge returned the male was bruised and bloodied and my first

guest had red knuckles. I was asked to escort her to the infirmary on the ground floor and the

other were sent to limbo to wait their turns for a tour.

The first person I provided a tour to was Katherine Parr. Katherine is mostly famous for

being Henry VIII’s last wife, who outlived him. There was so much more to her story.

Catherine was a daughter of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendall, an official of the royal

household. She had been widowed twice—in marriages to Edward Borough and to John

Neville, Lord Latimer by the time she married Henry on July 12, 1543. Her tactfulness

enabled her to exert a beneficial influence on the king during the last years of his reign.

She developed close friendships with the three children Henry had by previous marriages

and devoted herself to their education. A learned and deeply religious woman, she
 wrote A Lamentacion or Complaynt of a Sinner in the last year of her life (The Editors of

Encyclopaedia Britannica).

Katherine was extremely delighted when I informed her of Seton Hill’s former status as an all-

women’s college after we got her bandaged up. She told me she wrote numerous books and had a

woman paint her portrait. When she mentioned that I told her of several female photographers I

knew. I told her of some of my favorite female authors and she seemed happy that there was

more freedom for women. I informed her off the religious equality and church reforms that had

occurred in the last few centuries and she seemed surprised. She was also surprised by the

abolishment of slavery, in a good way. She was very saddened to hear of the human trafficking

and Church sex abuse scandal. The two of us also listened to SIX, the Musical about her and the

other wives and she seemed to enjoy it a lot.

The second person I gave a tour to was Galileo Galilei. He was “an Italian astronomer,

mathematician, physicist, philosopher and professor who made pioneering observations of nature

with long-lasting implications for the study of physics” (“Galileo”). Galileo was naturally

astonished at the modern advancements to science and absolutely lost his head when I told him

man had been to the moon. He asked me if I had gone and I told him that extensive training had

to go into being able to survive the conditions of Space travel. He then said “Of course you

didn’t your delicate feminine frame couldn’t handle it.” Suddenly I understood why Katherine

had punched him. I also told him about the church reforms. I also mentioned the recent scandals

to prove that the church no longer excommunicated anyone. He was shocked at that news. He

was a bit salty with the church for the heresy charges. I told him I didn’t blame him, the Church

was being very close minded at the time, as most men were and sometimes still are. He missed

the subtle jab at his gender. It was not an altogether pleasant afternoon due the misogyny he
practiced, although he did enjoy the fact that a children’s musical had been written about him by

a man by the name of Joseph Domencic.

My final tour was Sacagawea, “a Shoshone interpreter best known for being the only

woman on the Lewis and Clark Expedition into the American West.” (“Sacagawea”). Speaking

with her at times was a bit difficult due to the fact I have rudimentary French at best, but we

made do. I showed her around the school, and she was angered when she found out about the

government stealing her people’s land and forcing them out. She was happy that women’s rights

had gotten better but it’s not perfect. I also showed her the dollar coin with her face on it. I also

showed her bits and pieces of the Night at The Museum movie trilogy just to see her reaction and

she was very confused and a bit flattered that people consider her to be important. She was also

very glad to find out that Clark had taken her children in when she died and made sure they got

an education.

It was a very exhausting couple of days. Between the paperwork and dealing with Galileo

and the looks people gave me, I’m glad it’s over but I did enjoy making a difference. Helping the

trio see that they had an impact was rewarding. I might consider doing something like this again,

in a year or two when I’m not quite so busy with school.

 Work cited

“Galileo.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 4 Sept. 2019,

www.biography.com/scholar/galileo.

“Sacagawea.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 16 July 2019,

www.biography.com/explorer/sacagawea.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Catherine Parr.” Encyclopædia Britannica,

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1 Jan. 2020, www.britannica.com/biography/Catherine-

Parr.