Dale Thomas served for two years in the United States Army. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and education from Kent State University and a master’s in history from Case Western Reserve University. After teaching for thirty-one years, he took up writing and has had six books published on topics ranging from the American Civil War and Abraham Lincoln to World War I and the Ohio presidents. Dale has served as a director for the Cleveland Civil War Roundtable and the Olmsted Historical Society, and has judged student projects on History Day at Case Western Reserve University.