Local Historian And Author Marty Wendler Receives Women In American History Award

BY NANCY GAGNET | MIRROR REPORTER — Marilyn “Marty” Wendler, an author, educator and former director and curator at the Wolcott Heritage Center, has been honored for her work in the field of local history.

On April 8, members of the Fort Industry Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) presented Wendler with the 2021 Women in American History Award.

The award is meant to honor the role of women – both past and present – in American history. Chapters throughout the country are encouraged to select a notable woman who has made a significant contribution to the local community, explained chapter president Paula Lauer.

“The award honors a woman in the community that you think has made a difference in some way, like Marty has done, that is recognizable in the community,” she said.

Wendler is a retired professor of Ohio and American History at The University of Toledo. She is also the author of several local books, including The Foot of the Rapids: The Biography of a River Town, The Kentucky Frontiersman, The Connecticut Yankee and Little Turtle’s Granddaughter and A Beacon in the Wilderness. 

She is the former director of the Wolcott House and is currently curator emerita.

Wendler served as guest speaker via Zoom for the chapter’s March meeting to discuss women in history. 

In researching her own family, Wendler realized that women are hardly mentioned while men can be easily researched. Her goal was to uncover the stories of her grandmothers.

“They never mentioned women much,” she said.

She was happy to be recognized for her work.

“It’s really nice, it’s a really nice honor,” Wendler added.

Alicia Lipinski, a Wolcott House volunteer and member of the Fort Industry Chapter of DAR, nominated Wendler for the award

“I have been a docent here and I have seen all of the good things she had done over the years. I saw the good that she did for the community and I read her books and always respected her,” Lipinski said.

In addition to the award, the DAR also made a cash donation to the Wolcott Heritage Center and Maumee Valley Historical Society for the purpose of preservation.