Finding Slovenia: A Guide to Old Europe's New Country
Jacqueline Widmar Stewart grew up on the southern shores of Lake Michigan in the town of Beverly Shores, Indiana, which is now part of the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. She earned a B.A. in French and German from the University of Colorado, an M.A. in French from the University of Michigan, and a J.D. from Stanford University. With the new millennium Jacqueline began writing behind-the-scenes views about little-known gems of historical, cultural and natural interest. Her first book, The Glaciers' Treasure Trove: A Field Guide to the Lake Michigan Riviera, covers the five public parks along the southern shores of Lake Michigan, with glacial history and century-long endeavors to save the dunes. In Finding Slovenia: A Guide to Old Europe's New Country, she shares her native granddaughter's perspective of the petite but courageous country surrounded by Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia, that for the first time in history gained its independence in 1991, and in 2008 held the presidency of the European Union. In furtherance of her lifelong interest in protecting the environment and in promoting education, she has also served as an attorney for the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, as well as co-founding and leading the East Palo Alto Kids Foundation, an all-volunteer group that raises funds for teacher grants.