Jean C. O'Connor

Growing up in New England, Jean C. O’Connor developed a fascination with the American history evident in so many landmarks there. Her grandmother’s house in Andover, Massachusetts, has a historic plaque by the front door; the Marquis de Lafayette made a speech from its steps when he came to visit the new United States following the Revolutionary War. Her enjoyment of history as well as literature led to a teaching career of thirty-seven years in Montana, particularly in Helena, the  capital.  She  is  passionate  about  meaningful  learning  experiences  for  students,  and  about working  with  teachers.  Her  work  with  the  state teachers’ association led to her receiving the Montana Association of Teachers of English Language Arts Distinguished Educator Award. As an educator, she received the NCTE High School Teacher of Excellence Award 2018, one of only fourteen teachers in the country. A few lines in her grandmother’s journal inspired her interest in the story that forms the basis for The Remarkable Cause: A Novel of James Lovell and the Crucible of the Revolution.