In 1917, at the start of World War I, among global war and a global pandemic, Harrisburgers stepped up, surffered and served. They mustered municipal agencies, associations, churches, clubs and corporations as well as fraternal and female organizations to address the multiple challenges presented by the global events. Women volunteered for the Red Cross and sought employment in industry as locals observed federal stipulations for draft calls, food conservation, fuel savings and arms' production. The city experienced tribulations as residents feared espionage, suspected foreigners and demanded loyalty. A Teutonophobia cast aspersions on anything German. Hospitals struggled with the 1918 flu at their doorstep. Join author Rodney Ross as he charts the World War I era and the Harrisburg home front.
Rodney J. Ross was born in Harrisburg. He earned a bachelor's degree at Shippensburg State Teachers College in 1962. The Pennsylvania State University awarded him a master's degree in 1967 and a doctorate in 1973. Prior to retiring in 2017, he taught seven years in the Harrisburg School District and forty-seven at the Harrisburg Area Community College. He has written academic articles, book reviews and encyclopedic entries. His first book, Harrisburg in World War II , was published by The History Press in 2021. He is currently researching Harrisburg's preparation for entry into the Second World War, 1939-41.
Description courtesy of the History Press.