Actor gives students glimpse into Southern side of Civil War

As a child growing up in North Carolina, Stephen Quick certainly saw the remnants of the Civil War.

Graffiti in the form of Union soldiers' names etched into his grandmother's barn served as a constant reminder of the conflict that divided the country in the late-1800s.

And although he knows he cannot rewrite history - nor does he want to - for the past 18 years the Arlington Heights resident has traveled to elementary schools hoping to offer a perspective that is not always shown: one of a Southern farmer who Quick bases on his great-great-great-grandfather.

"It's a southern perspective and that can be controversial in this day and age," he said. "I just got tired of other people's interpretations. (My ancestors) lived it."

Quick recently brought his one-man presentation, complete with period uniforms and weapons, to fifth-grade students at Lincoln Elementary School in Glen Ellyn. The program coincides with the start of the students' Civil War lessons.

During the presentation, Quick mixes a little bit of acting and accents with storytelling to illustrate the turmoil faced by Confederate farmers as Union soldiers invaded the South.

The story of his ancestors talks about the simple farmer who changes his mindset after hearing stories about others in the South losing their livestock and crops to Yankees from the north.

For entertainment, Quick says soldiers often took bets on louse races on dinner plates.

Near the end of the program, the students get restless as Quick talks of the weapons and ammunition in the war.

"It's a great way to bring history alive for the kids," said parent Joyce Hetzler, whose son Scott is a fifth-grader in one of the classes. "They read about it in a book but it's hard to reinforce that."

Quick is a lecturer and historian who regularly does similar presentations about several different wars. Last fall, he visited Lincoln when students were starting their Revolutionary War lessons.

Fifth-grader Robby Bystry said history has become one of his favorite subjects. Also, he said Quick's work makes following the lessons much easier.

"It's a great start to learning the basics of the wars," he said. "I love the stories."