Virginia C. Bulat
Encyclopedia
Virginia Catherine Bulat, the pen and maiden name of Virginia Bulat Carroll (23 March 1938- 21 December 1986), was an independent scholar
and historian of local Illinois history. Bulat was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended Nazareth Academy
in La Grange, Illinois
(1952–1956).
Bulat was the daughter of Edmund Peter Bulat, winner of the 1933 State of Illinois middleweight Golden Gloves
amateur boxing championship.
Bulat worked in the publishing industry in Chicago in the early 1960s. She later became an amateur archaeologist and worked for the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. State Department. Bulat was a third-generation American of Austrian-Polish heritage. The surname Bulat makes reference to bulat steel
. In 1963, she married James B. Carroll, a career U.S. diplomat and graduate of the University of Notre Dame
. She was the mother of four children (Margaret Mary, James Edmund, Mary Elizabeth and Patrick Braerton).
and Riverside, Illinois
. Many had recollections of the region before it became part of the western suburbs of Chicago. Notes from these interviews and early photos were published in collaboration with Rose Marie Benedditi in the books Lyons: A history of a village and area important for 300 years (1959) and Portage, pioneers, and pubs: A history of Lyons, Illinois (1963).
Both books prominently feature Hofmann Tower
, a landmark on the Des Plaines River
between the towns of Lyons
and Riverside, Illinois
. George Hofmann, Jr., a local brewer built a dam on the Des Plaines River
to generate electricity. He also built the adjacent tower as part of park that attracted visitors to picinic and ride boats. In the 1970s and 1980s, co-author Rose Marie Benedetti worked closely with the preservation efforts of the Village of Lyons Historical Commission to have Hofmann Tower designated a village and state landmark and placed on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Independent scholar
An independent scholar is anyone who conducts scholarly research outside universities and traditional academia. Independent scholars play an especially important role in areas such as art history and other humanities fields...
and historian of local Illinois history. Bulat was born in Chicago, Illinois and attended Nazareth Academy
Nazareth Academy (La Grange Park, Illinois)
Nazareth Academy is a Roman Catholic college-preparatory high school located in LaGrange Park, Illinois, in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. It was founded in 1900 by the Sisters of St. Joseph.-History:...
in La Grange, Illinois
La Grange, Illinois
La Grange, a suburb of Chicago, is a village in Cook County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 15,608 at the 2000 census.-History:...
(1952–1956).
Bulat was the daughter of Edmund Peter Bulat, winner of the 1933 State of Illinois middleweight Golden Gloves
Golden Gloves
The Golden Gloves is the name given to annual competitions for amateur boxing in the United States. The Golden Gloves is often the term used to refer to the National Golden Gloves competition, but it also can represent several other amateur tournaments, including regional golden gloves...
amateur boxing championship.
Bulat worked in the publishing industry in Chicago in the early 1960s. She later became an amateur archaeologist and worked for the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. State Department. Bulat was a third-generation American of Austrian-Polish heritage. The surname Bulat makes reference to bulat steel
Bulat steel
Bulat is a type of steel alloy known in Russia from medieval times and regularly mentioned in Russian legends as material of choice for cold steel. The name булат is a Russian transliteration of the Persian word پولاد , meaning steel...
. In 1963, she married James B. Carroll, a career U.S. diplomat and graduate of the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. She was the mother of four children (Margaret Mary, James Edmund, Mary Elizabeth and Patrick Braerton).
Preserving Illinois History
As a high school student Bulat began interviewing elderly residents in the vicinity of Lyons, IllinoisLyons, Illinois
Lyons is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,255 at the 2000 census.-History:Incorporated in 1888, Lyons is steeped in earlier historical roots. In 1673 French Explorer Louis Joliet and Jesuit missionary Father Pierre Marquette left Green Bay, Wisconsin by canoe...
and Riverside, Illinois
Riverside, Illinois
Riverside is an affluent suburban village in Cook County, Illinois. A significant portion of the village is in the Riverside Landscape Architecture District, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The population was 8,895 at the 2000 census...
. Many had recollections of the region before it became part of the western suburbs of Chicago. Notes from these interviews and early photos were published in collaboration with Rose Marie Benedditi in the books Lyons: A history of a village and area important for 300 years (1959) and Portage, pioneers, and pubs: A history of Lyons, Illinois (1963).
Both books prominently feature Hofmann Tower
Hofmann Tower
Hofmann Tower is the name of a tower in Lyons, Illinois. It was built in the year 1908 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 1978....
, a landmark on the Des Plaines River
Des Plaines River
The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the U.S. Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River....
between the towns of Lyons
Lyons, Illinois
Lyons is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 10,255 at the 2000 census.-History:Incorporated in 1888, Lyons is steeped in earlier historical roots. In 1673 French Explorer Louis Joliet and Jesuit missionary Father Pierre Marquette left Green Bay, Wisconsin by canoe...
and Riverside, Illinois
Riverside, Illinois
Riverside is an affluent suburban village in Cook County, Illinois. A significant portion of the village is in the Riverside Landscape Architecture District, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970. The population was 8,895 at the 2000 census...
. George Hofmann, Jr., a local brewer built a dam on the Des Plaines River
Des Plaines River
The Des Plaines River is a river that flows southward for through southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois in the U.S. Midwest, eventually meeting the Kankakee River west of Channahon to form the Illinois River, a tributary of the Mississippi River....
to generate electricity. He also built the adjacent tower as part of park that attracted visitors to picinic and ride boats. In the 1970s and 1980s, co-author Rose Marie Benedetti worked closely with the preservation efforts of the Village of Lyons Historical Commission to have Hofmann Tower designated a village and state landmark and placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.