Diana Dretske

Diana Dretske was born and raised in Waukegan, and is a curator and Lake County historian for the Lake County Forest Preserves’ Bess Bower Dunn Museum. For more than thirty-five years she has explored the history of northeastern Illinois through primary research and publications, including The Bonds of War: A Story of Immigrants and Esprit de Corps In Company C, 96th Illinois Volunteer Infantry (Southern Illinois University Press). The Illinois State Historical Society recognized her work with a lifetime achievement award for outstanding contributions in promoting, preserving, and commemorating Illinois history.