Cindy Lovell (born 1956) is an American educator and writer.
Life
Cindy Lovell was born in
Altoona, Pennsylvania
Altoona is a city in Blair County, Pennsylvania. It is the principal city of the Altoona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The population was 43,963 at the time of the 2020 Census, making it the eighteenth most populous city in Pennsylvania. T ...
. She graduated from
Stetson University
Stetson University is a private university with four colleges and schools located across the I–4 corridor in Central Florida with the primary undergraduate campus in DeLand. The university was founded in 1883 and was later established in 1887 ...
with a BA and MA in Elementary Education and from
The University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...
with a Ph.D. in Education. She has two children, Angela Lovell and
Adam Lovell
Adam Lovell (born September 25, 1977) is the founder and owner of WriteAPrisoner.com. He has been featured on 20/20, FoxNews, E! True Hollywood Story, CNN, and many other media outlets. Lovell is an advocate for inmates' rights and families o ...
. She is known for her work in support of
Mark Twain's legacy.
Career
Lovell has taught elementary school and has held tenured positions at Stetson University and
Quincy University
Quincy University (formerly known as St. Francis Solanus College, and today abbreviated as QU) is a private Franciscan university in Quincy, Illinois. It was founded in 1860 and enrolls about 1,100 students.
History
A small group of Francisc ...
. She is the only person to have served as executive director for both the
Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum
The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum is located on 206-208 Hill Street, Hannibal, Missouri, on the west bank of the Mississippi River in the United States. It was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as author Mark Twain, from 18 ...
in
Hannibal, Missouri
Hannibal is a city along the Mississippi River in Marion and Ralls counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 17,312, making it the largest city in Marion County. The bulk of the city is in Mar ...
and the
Mark Twain House
The Mark Twain House and Museum in Hartford, Connecticut, was the home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) and his family from 1874 to 1891. It was designed by Edward Tuckerman Potter and built in the American High Gothic style.
Clemens bi ...
& Museum in
Hartford
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
. In Hannibal, Lovell oversaw the restoration of the
Becky Thatcher
Mark Twain's series of books featuring the fictional characters Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn include:
#'' The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' (1876)
#''Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884)
#''Tom Sawyer Abroad'' (1894)
#'' Tom Sawyer, Detective ...
House, established the quadrennial Clemens Conference, and facilitated numerous other projects. In Hartford, she oversaw the restoration of the famed mahogany suite guest quarters in the Clemens home, established the Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award with trustee and author
David Baldacci
David Baldacci (born August 5, 1960) is an American novelist. An attorney by education, Baldacci writes mainly suspense novels and legal thrillers.
Biography
Early life and education
David Baldacci was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. ...
, and promoted the Mark Twain Commemorative Coin Act sales, which she worked to have enacted into law during her time in Hannibal. Currently, Lovell is the director of education at
Epic Flight Academy
Epic commonly refers to:
* Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation
* Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements
Epic or EPIC may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and medi ...
in
New Smyrna Beach
New Smyrna Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States, located on the central east coast of the state, with the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Its population is 30,142 in 2020 by the United States Census Bureau.
The downtown section o ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. She is an adjunct professor teaching education courses for the
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida (USF) is a public research university with its main campus located in Tampa, Florida, and other campuses in St. Petersburg and Sarasota. It is one of 12 members of the State University System of Florida. USF i ...
and a Mark Twain course for Quincy University. Lovell also served as events coordinator for the city of Hannibal during its
bicentennial __NOTOC__
A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to:
Europe
*French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...
year in 2019 and is a member of the
steering committee
A committee or commission is a body of one or more persons subordinate to a deliberative assembly. A committee is not itself considered to be a form of assembly. Usually, the assembly sends matters into a committee as a way to explore them more ...
for the
American Writers Museum
The American Writers Museum is a museum of American Literature and writing that opened in Chicago in May 2017. The museum was designed by Amaze Design of Boston.
The American museum was inspired by the Dublin Writers Museum.
Permanent Exhibits ...
.
Projects
Lovell wrote the narrative tracks and served as co-executive producer with
Carl Jackson
Carl Eugene Jackson (born September 18, 1953) is an American country and bluegrass musician. Jackson's first Grammy was awarded in 1992 for his duet album with John Starling titled "Spring Training." In 2003 Jackson produced the Grammy Award-wi ...
of ''
Mark Twain: Words & Music'', a
double album benefit for the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum. Her narratives were performed by
Jimmy Buffett,
Clint Eastwood,
Garrison Keillor, and Angela Lovell.
Brad Paisley
Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...
,
Emmylou Harris, and others recorded the musical tracks. She also wrote the narrative tracks for ''
Orthophonic Joy
''Orthophonic Joy: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited'' is a double-CD produced by Grammy Award-winner Carl Jackson, a Bluegrass and country music artist, as a benefit for the Birthplace of Country Music Museum in Bristol, Tennessee. The projec ...
: The 1927 Bristol Sessions Revisited'', another double album project with Jackson, which was a benefit for the
Birthplace of Country Music Museum
Birthplace of Country Music Museum is a museum celebrating the historic 1927 Bristol Sessions, which recorded some of the earliest country music in America when the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers and several other musicians recorded for the f ...
in Bristol,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
. Lovell's narrative tracks were performed by
Eddie Stubbs
Eddie Stubbs (born November 25, 1961) is an American radio disc jockey. Stubbs is best known for his work and promotion of country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern ...
. Singers on the project included
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...
,
Keb' Mo'
Kevin Roosevelt Moore (born October 3, 1951), known as Keb' Mo', is an American blues musician and five-time Grammy Award winner. He is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter, living in Nashville, Tennessee. He has been described as "a living link ...
,
Marty Stuart, and others.
Lovell has been a contributor to ''
HuffPost
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' and other publications, such as ''
Mensa Research Journal'' and ''Florida Reading Quarterly''. She contributed chapters to ''Reading in 2010: A Comprehensive Review of a Changing Field'', ''Mark Twain and Youth: Studies in His Life and Writings'', and ''Critical Insights: The Adventures of Tom Sayer''. She is a co-editor and author of ''Preparing the Way: Teaching ELs in the PreK-12 Classroom''. She also co-authored ''Linguistics for K-12 Classroom Application'' with
Jane Govoni
Jane may refer to:
* Jane (given name), a feminine given name
* Jane (surname), related to the given name
Film and television
* ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd
* ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fi ...
. Lovell has also authored two children's novel, ''Rachel Mason Hears the Sound'' and ''Not This Sunday''. She co-authored ''Down the Mississippi'' with
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
iReporter
Neal Moore
Neal Moore (born November 22, 1971) is an American writer and canoeist. He is the author of two non-fiction books—''Down the Mississippi'' and ''Homelands: A Memoir''—as well as numerous news articles. The Mark Twain Museum, ''CNN'' and ''The ...
.
Lovell wrote the foreword for ''Mark Twain's Hartford'' and ''Hannibal: Bluff City Memories, 1819-2019''. She also wrote the afterword for ''101 Trailblazing Women of Air and Space''.
Lovell has lectured widely on the subject of Mark Twain at a number of venues such as
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
,
Kensal Rise Library
Kensal Rise Library is a public library in London, England, opened by American author Mark Twain in 1900. The site was donated by All Souls College, Oxford. The library's threatened closure prompted a large campaign to save it, led by figures inc ...
, and the
National Steinbeck Center
The National Steinbeck Center is a museum and memorial dedicated to the author John Steinbeck, located at the California State University, Monterey Bay#Other locations, California State University, Monterey Bay at Salinas City Center building at O ...
. She is an annual speaker on the ''
American Queen
''American Queen'' is said to be the largest river steamboat ever built. The ship was built in 1995 and is a six-deck recreation of a classic Mississippi riverboat, built by McDermott Shipyard for the ''Delta Queen'' Steamboat Company. Although ...
'' steamboat's Mark Twain cruise and has lectured at numerous educational conferences and symposia.
Media
Lovell appeared in ''
Holbrook/Twain: An American Odyssey'', a
documentary about
Hal Holbrook
Harold Rowe Holbrook Jr. (February 17, 1925 – January 23, 2021) was an American actor, television director, and screenwriter. He first received critical acclaim in 1954 for a one-man stage show that he developed called '' Mark Twain Tonight!'' ...
's career performing as
Mark Twain, directed by
Scott Teems
Scott Teems is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on ''That Evening Sun'' (2009), '' The Quarry'' (2020), ''Halloween Kills'' (2021), and '' Firestarter'' (2022).
Career
In 2009, Teems started his car ...
and ''Interpreting Twain'', a documentary short directed by Paul Cotter. Interviews with Lovell have appeared on
C-SPAN and
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
and in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'', ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', ''
Smithsonian Magazine
''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970.
History
The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' mag ...
'', and other publications. Journalist
Bob Edwards
Robert Alan "Bob" Edwards is an American broadcast journalist, a Peabody Award-winning member of the National Radio Hall of Fame. He hosted both of National Public Radio's flagship news programs, the afternoon ''All Things Considered'', and '' ...
interviewed Lovell for his show on
SiriusXM
Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting company headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. It was formed by the 2008 merger of Sirius Sa ...
.
Jim Trelease
James Joseph Trelease (March 23, 1941 – July 28, 2022) was an American educator and author who stressed reading aloud to children to instill a love of literature.
Life
Jim Trelease was born on March 23 in Orange, New Jersey to George Edward a ...
interviewed Lovell for ''
The Read-Aloud Handbook''.
Discovery of Clemens Signature in Mark Twain Cave
Lovell made news around the world when she discovered the long-sought boyhood signature of
Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
on July 26, 2019 inside the
Mark Twain Cave
Mark Twain Cave — originally McDowell's Cave — is a show cave located near Hannibal, Missouri. It was named for author Mark Twain whose real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Clemens lived in Hannibal from 1839 to 1853, age 4 to 17. It is ...
in Hannibal, Missouri where Clemens lived from the age of 4 to 17. She had looked for the signature for decades and discovered it during a special tour with fellow Twain scholars during the quadrennial Clemens Conference hosted by the Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum. Lovell and cave owner Linda Coleberd did not announce the discovery until experts had the opportunity to examine it. The signature was authenticated as belonging to Samuel Clemens by Twain scholars
Alan Gribben and Kevin Mac Donnell after comparing signatures of Sam Clemens and his siblings from the time period the Clemens family lived in Hannibal.
Lovell's first significant Twain discovery came during a visit to the
Bermuda National Trust
The Bermuda National Trust is a charitable organization which works to preserve and protect the heritage of Bermuda.
According to its website, the organization has the following purposes:
"The Bermuda National Trust is a charity, establishe ...
when she found an unsigned manuscript detailing the first time Clemens witnessed a cricket match tucked inside a scrapbook. The essay had been published in
The Strand after Twain's death, but the whereabouts of the original manuscript were unknown. The manuscript was later exhibited at
Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art
Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art (MMOBA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to art made in and inspired by Bermuda.
MMOBA was founded in 1987 by Tom Butterfield, MBE (born 1948) and has been located in the Bermuda Botanical Gardens in Paget Pa ...
.
References
External links
DrCindyLovell.comLovell, Epic Flight Academy ProfileTwitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lovell, Cindy
American women writers
American women educators
1956 births
Living people
21st-century American women