Chautauqua Scholars
Clay Jenkinson (John Hay)
Clay is the artistic director of the Nevada Humanities Chautauqua, the co-founder of the modern Chautauqua movement, and a former board member of Nevada Humanities. He has performed as Thomas Jefferson at the White House and on Capitol Hill. He is also the author of numerous books including
Becoming Jefferson's People: Re-Inventing the American Republic in the Twenty-First Century. He is the recipient of the Charles Frankel Prize, awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Doug A. Mishler (Jefferson Davis)
In the last fifteen years Doug has brought "history to life" in well over 500 Chautauqua presentations, and one-man shows. He performs often as P. T. Barnum, Theodore Roosevelt, & Henry Ford, as well as Ernie Pyle, Capt. William Clark, Andrew Carnegie, Reverend Billy Sunday, artist Thomas Hart Benton, Edward R. Murrow, Jefferson Davis, Upton Sinclair, and now Governor George C. Wallace. Doug has a Ph.D. in American cultural history and teaches at University of Nevada, Reno.
Frank Mullen (General Ulysses S. Grant)
Frank is a senior reporter with the Reno Gazette-Journal; he also teaches at the University of Nevada, Reno's Reynolds School of Journalism. Mullen is the author of The Donner Party Chronicles published by Nevada Humanities. He is also a popular presenter in Nevada Humanities' speakers bureau. He has portrayed numerous Chautauqua characters including Henry VIII, Babe Ruth, Benedict Arnold, and populist politician Huey Long.
Charles Everett Pace (Frederick Douglass)
Charles is a veteran of the Great Plains Chautauqua who has developed numerous characters including York of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Langston Hughes. He holds a masterâ€
TMs degree in American studies and anthropology from Purdue University. Charles has taught at the University of Nebraska and Centre College in Kentucky. He is now pursuing lecturing and Chautauqua performance on a full-time basis.
Selene Phillips (Mary Todd Lincoln)
Selene has portrayed Sacagawea at numerous sites for the Great Plains Chautauqua. She appeared as Sacagawea in Public Broadcasting's nationally televised Kids Quest, The Lewis and Clark Adventures. Selene is a member of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe Nation. Her Ph.D. is in Native American studies, communication law and journalism; she teaches at the University of Louisville. Selene has served on the Indiana Governor's Native American Council. She also serves as president of the American Native Press Archives Advisory Board.
Rose Hodges (Jessie Benton Frèmont)
Rose is a fourth year Chautauquan, whose previous characters include Nathaniel Bowditch, Harriet Chalmers Adams, and William Wilberforce. She is a Christian who is active in her church, and loves working with children. Almost every day of the week is some activity or another where she has a chance to work with what she calls "her kids." Rose is a 10th grade homeschooler, and a writer-in-training.
Nicole Piechocki (Anna Ella Carroll)
Nicole has been "bringing history to life" for the past six years, portraying Nevada prospector Lillian Malcolm, Jacqueline Cochran, Mary Edwards Walker, Dickey Chapelle, Anne Frank, and Hedda Hopper. Nicole is also a Girl Scout working toward her Silver Award. A freshman at McQueen High school, she has played classical violin and viola for the past four years, and provides fiddle and harmony vocals for The Biggest Little Bluegrass Band.
