Kay, Betty Carlson 1949- (Betty C. Kay)

PERSONAL:

Born January 8, 1949, in Cicero, IL; daughter of Elmer (an electrical engineer) and Eva (a secretary) Carlson; married Lewis R. Kinkead (divorced); married John S. Kay (a pastor), June 25, 1983; children: Margret Eva Duvall, Emily, Stephen. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Iowa State University, B.S., 1970; University of Illinois at Springfield, M.A., 1978. Politics: Independent. Religion: Presbyterian. Hobbies and other interests: Playing the harp, crocheting.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Jacksonville, IL. E-mail—bckay@mchsi.com.

CAREER:

Teacher at public schools in Iowa City, IA, 1970-74; Springfield School District 186, Springfield, IL, first-grade teacher, 1974-2004; retired, 2004. Dana Thomas House, board secretary, 2005-07; Kemmerer Village (school), board member, 2005-07.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Golden Apple Award, Channel 20 News, 1984.

WRITINGS:

Americans of Character, five volumes, Young People's Press (San Diego, CA), 1997.

Jacksonville: The Traditions Continue, Arcadia Publishers (Chicago, IL), 1999.

Cicero: The First Suburb West, Arcadia Publishers (Chicago, IL), 2000.

Illinois from A to Z, University of Illinois Press (Urbana, IL), 2000.

What Did Lincoln Do in 1832? … in 1842? … in 1862?, Authorhouse (Bloomington, IN), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS:

Betty Carlson Kay told CA: "Teaching is still my calling in life. Though retired, I visit classrooms to do first-person presentations of life as it was in 1832 in New Salem, Illinois. This gives children a feeling of Lincoln's life before he was a famous president. I look forward to doing future presentations in the guise of other people involved with Mr. and Mrs. Lincoln, especially with regard to the observance of his 200th birthday in 2009."