Instructor: Beverly Eggert, a retired Beaufort County English teacher, served as the featured lecturer and program director for the Beaufort County History Center/Beaufort County Library lecture series. She also served as the program director and lecturer for the Santa Elena History Center in Beaufort and was a lecturer for the South Carolina Humanities Festival. Description: Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919) was a pioneering American physician, surgeon, and women’s rights advocate. She became the first female surgeon in the United States Army during the Civil War. Volunteering on the front lines, she treated soldiers and civilians alike and was captured and imprisoned by Confederate forces. For her courage and service to the Union, she received the Medal of Honor on November 11, 1865. It was later taken away and then reinstated by Pres. Jimmy Carter in 1977. Her legacy embodies medical dedication, equality and fearless advocacy for women’s rights in 19th-century America.