“The world is put back by the death of every one who has to sacrifice the development of his or her peculiar gifts to conventionality.” Florence Nightingale, who passed away a hundred years ago this past 13 Aug, @ the age of 90

So here I am, back from rolling Kansas, from a fine gaggle of elementary schools down 'round Augusta, just east of Wichita - a long stretch of lonesome road through beautiful country [nothing flat about it, if you don't count the turnpike] betwixt here and there. According to the wikibots, truly heroic, stubborn Ms. Nightingale took her brigade of nurses to the Crimea, to the dreadful war being fought there, on this day, October 21, 1854. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_War

This link will take you to a very fine article about her, well worth the reading.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/REnightingale.htm