Please note: Biographies for Elderhostel
Instructors are in an alphabetical listing.
Mollie Back
Originally from Wilkes-Barre, PA Mollie received her
BS degree in Business from Wilkes College.
She is a civilian interpreter at the historical home of Mt. Ida; the
ruins of the Patapsco Female Institute in Ellicott City, MD and the Schriver
House in Gettysburg. A student of
Civil War clothing construction, she designs and creates her own period
clothing. She is an experienced
storyteller of dramatic Victorian tales (ghost stories).
Mollie is the founder of “The Historical Impostors”, a group
dedicated to first person impression. She
portrays Mrs. James Pierce, a Gettysburg civilian, mother of Tillie Pierce.
Mollie’s great-grandfather, John Beard, served in the Union Navy
(1861-65) as a Fireman aboard the U.S. Clyde.
She is researching his records at the present time.
Three Days in July 1863 – The Battle of
Gettysburg
– John Cox
John
is a Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide.
He was born and raised in Connecticut, but moved to the Twin Cities area
of Minnesota in 1991. John attended
the University of Minnesota, concentrating in Ancient History.
He commuted from Minnesota to Gettysburg for 3 years to pass the guide
exams. John is a 6-year veteran of
the U.S. Air Force, honorary member of the Iron Brigade Association and the St.
Croix Civil War Roundtable, a frequent speaker around the country on a variety
of Civil War subjects and also on the Generalship of Julius Caesar.
Strategy
And Tactics Of The Civil War
- Tom Dombrowsky
Lieutenant
Colonel Thomas Dombrowsky (USA, Ret.) is currently a leadership consultant and
an adjunct faculty member at Gettysburg College and the Army War College.
His most recent experiences have included serving as the Director of
Military History at the US Army War College and as the Professor of Military
Science at Gettysburg College where he taught military history.
Other military assignments included two tours in Vietnam as an infantry
company commander and as an advisor to the Vietnamese Army.
He has written and presented monographs on leadership, the Vietnam war,
the evolution of strategy and World War II grand strategy.
He has guided numerous groups on staff rides to the Gettysburg and
Antietam Battlefields.
Three
Days in July 1863: The Battle of Gettysburg
- Dr. Charles Fennell
Charlie graduated from Frostburg State College in 1976 with a B.S. degree and from Clarion State College in 1979 with an M.A. degree in American History. He holds a Ph.D. in American History from West Virginia University and is employed as an instructor at the Harrisburg Area Community College, Gettysburg campus and as a Licensed Battlefield Guide. Charlie has a chapter on the American Civil War published in a military history textbook.
Living
History Presentation - Abraham Lincoln Visits
- James Getty
Jim
is a native of Illinois. A graduate
of Illinois Wesleyan University, with a Master of Music degree, he taught in
high schools of suburban Chicago (St. Charles and Naperville), at Sandusky, Ohio
and was the Director of Choral Activities at the University of Maine. While in
Sandusky, he grew a beard. Many people commented on his resemblance to Lincoln.
Jim took it upon himself to begin research on the character, developing
vignettes in first-person of Abraham Lincoln.
Jim and his wife moved to Gettysburg in 1977.
He performs regularly in his own one-man show at The Gettysburg Battle
Theatre. In addition, he speaks for
schools, colleges and conventions around the country, as well as portrays the
16th President for the Delta Queen Steamboat Company on several annual Civil War
Cruises.
Three
Days In July – 1863: The Battle of Gettysburg
– Ted Gajewski
Ted
is a retired steelworker from Pittsburgh, PA.
He relocated to Gettysburg three years ago because of his deep love for
the American Civil War. Ted has
attended every seminar sponsored by the Association of Licensed Battlefield
Guides. Ted became licensed as a
battlefield guide in 2001.
The
Civil War Soldier -
Charles Hathaway
Charlie
was born and grew up in Rhode Island, spent a year in the Coast Guard on iceberg
patrol in the North Atlantic, then two years as a crew member on a commercial
fishing vessel. After a 34-year
career as an assistant department then department manager for a lumber company
he retired and moved to Gettysburg. In
the interim he spent his vacations visiting the Civil War battlefields (about 20
times at Gettysburg) and since moving here after his retirement in 1985 has
become a licensed battlefield guide and lecturer on various aspects of the Civil
War, including regular lectures at the Farnsworth House Restaurant in
Gettysburg, Harrisburg Area Community College and Gettysburg College and its
Civil War Institute.
The
Rummel Farm at East Cavalry Field
- Daniel W. Hoffman
Dan
is a life-long resident of East Cavalry Field, owner of the historic Rummel
Farm. His fascination for the
cavalry battle led him to assemble stories, artifacts and his own experiences at
the farm. After retiring from 26
years with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation it allowed him time to
share his knowledge with visitors, give presentations for the Harrisburg Area
Community College and the National Military Park. Daniel's family lines date
back to 1773 as living in Adams County. He
has entertained many hostelers throughout the years as they visited his home
place, a 135-acre property on Gettysburg's East Cavalry Field.
Entertainment
Activity - Civil War Music
- Tom Jolin
It was 1954 in a Northern Wisconsin kindergarten class, as Tom Jolin walked round and round singing "Oh Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone", in a game of "guess what I am". He was a record player and even though it was a thoughtful performance, no one guessed it. Some careers have auspicious starts, others do not. Tom is an experienced instrument maker, specializing in the hammer dulcimer. He is a sought after Pennsylvania Artist in Residence and spends extended times in various schools, assisting students make their own school owned hammer dulcimer. Tom plays traditional American music. He was a founding member of the West Orrtanna String Band, which was active from 1972 to 1987. They recorded two albums on Revonah Records and also several short historic folk music segments for National Public Radio. From 1987 to 1998 he performed with the Orrtanna Mountain Streamers, which recorded two more albums. He has been a solo performer since 1978 playing the hammer dulcimer, button accordion, banjo, harmonica and more. He recently released a solo album. Tom and his wife, Marianne have five children and live in their owner-built home in the foothills of the Appalachians near Gettysburg.
Terry
is a Park Ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park.
Previously she was a Licensed Battlefield Guide for five years.
She has conducted seminar programs; military staff rides, and is Co-Chair
of the Women’s History Symposium held annually at GNMP. Before working for the Department of Interior she was
employed by the Department of Defense as a Ballistics Lab Technician testing
Kevlar body armor. She received her
education at Towson University and Penn State York.
She has appeared on Pennsylvania Cable Network and has served as an
instructor for history teachers at the Governor’s Institute.
The
Women of the Civil War
- Rebecca Lyons
Becky
resides in Gettysburg and is employed by the National Park Service.
She specializes in the history of women in the Civil War, and teaches
many courses for the Harrisburg Area Community College and others on the topic.
The
Eisenhower’s/ U.S. Intelligence & Code Breaking - Don
Markle
Don is a native of Hanover, PA
but moved to Washington, D.C. at an early age.
He is an alumnus of Johns Hopkins University and the University of
Maryland with a BA in History/Government and Politics. He has also done graduate
work at both George Washington and American Universities in the area of
International Relations. Don is a
retired Federal Employee with over 34 years in the Intelligence Community
(including a long stint as a code breaker).
He served in Department of Defense positions abroad with tours in
England, Germany and Italy. Don has
been teaching at the Gettysburg Elderhostel since its inception, initially on
Civil War subjects and the Eisenhower’s, but later expanded to include US
Intelligence and How the Word Was Passed. He
is a published author to include Spies and Spymasters of the Civil War
and The Telegraph Goes to War based on The Personal Diary of David
Homer Bates, Lincoln’s Telegraph Operator.
He is currently working with a senior intelligence official from World
War II with the aim of publishing his memoirs, as well as, An Illustrated
History of the State of Pennsylvania to be published in late 2004. He has
lectured extensively on Civil War subjects, as well as, the code-breaking
efforts of the Allies during World War II.
In the early spring of 2004 he lectured on “Ike the New Republican”
for the Hauenstein Presidential Study Center in Naples and Palm Beach, Florida.
Don is a volunteer docent at the Eisenhower Historic Site in Gettysburg
for whom he has conducted several oral histories now held by the Site and the
Eisenhower Library in Abilene.
Why
the North Won . . . Why the South Lost/ Civil War Espionage - Don
Markle
Don is a native of Hanover, PA but moved to Washington, D.C. at an early age. He is an alumnus of Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland with a BA in History/Government and Politics. He has also done graduate work at both George Washington and American Universities in the area of International Relations. Don is a retired Federal Employee with over 34 years in the Intelligence Community (Department of Defense), serving about 14 years abroad in Western Europe - England, German and Italy. After retiring to Gettysburg, Don began teaching in the Gettysburg Elderhostel. This led to the writing of his first book titled Spies and Spymasters of the Civil War published by Hippocrene Books, Inc. of New York in 1995 (Third edition released in the winter of 2003). His second book, The Telegraph Goes to War, The Personal Diary of David Homer Bates – Lincoln’s Telegraph Operator was released in the summer of 2003 by Edmonston Publishing, Hamilton, NY. In addition to lecturing in the Elderhostel Program, Don has lectured on Civil War Espionage at the Smithsonian Institute, The National Archives, The International Spy Museum, The Civil War Institute of Gettysburg College, Harrisburg Community College and various Civil War Round tables. Don is a volunteer docent at the Eisenhower Historic Site in Gettysburg and a volunteer Information Specialist with the National Gallery of Art.
Lincoln
At Gettysburg – Barbara J. Sanders
Barb is currently the Education Specialist at
Gettysburg National Military Park, where she oversees all of the
curriculum-based student education programs and the nationwide “Life of a
Civil War Soldier” traveling trunk program. She also co-writes and produces
the park’s annual satellite broadcasts to schools, reaching millions of
students across the country who are unable to visit the park. Barbara also
serves on the advisory committee of the Gettysburg National Battlefield Museum
Foundation.
A graduate of La Salle University in Philadelphia,
Barbara began her career within the museums of that city before moving to
Washington D.C. to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from the George
Washington University’s Museum Education program. She first came to Gettysburg
to help create a new student education program for high school students on
Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the Creation of the Soldiers’
National Cemetery. An early highlight of her National Park Service career was
attending the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s seminar, “Lincoln at Gettysburg”
where she and other participants created a full published series of lesson plans
on Lincoln and his times.
Gettysburg:
The Place & People
- Gary Shaffer
Gary
was born in Takoma Park, Maryland and grew up in Adelphi, a suburb of
Washington, D.C. He attended the
University of Maryland, where he earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree in
1974, with an area of interest in sociology and religion.
He has been employed as both an architect and youth minister, and until
1984, alternated his "professional" career between the two fields.
Gary moved to Gettysburg in 1978, which was a move "home" as
his family has long ties to Gettysburg. He
has done graduate work at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C. and the
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. Gary has an architectural practice
in Gettysburg. He also serves as Chairman of the Gettysburg Historical
Architecture Review Board and is a past president of the Adams County Mental
Health Association. He and his wife
Jamie are the parents of six children.
Civil War Era Quilts
– Glenda Shetter
Glenda
started quilting 30 years ago and for the past 20 years has become really
serious, taking classes. She owned her own fabric store for several years and
ran a quilting and sewing business from her home. Glenda taught quilting classes
from the store, her home and the Adams County Agriculture Extension Office.
She’s taught quilting classes to 5th graders for six years during
their special weekly interest groups. Glenda raised 10 children and at present
has 19 grandchildren, many of whom she taught to sew and quilt. She lived in a
pre-Civil War home for 27 years that was used as a hospital after Pickett’s
Charge. She feels this accounts for her keen interest in the Civil War era. Her
ancestry of Pennsylvania Dutch and Quaker Grandparents, some of whom ran an
Underground Railroad station at Wierman’s Mill in York Springs, PA also
contributes to her interest.
The
Gettysburg Nobody Sees
– Dean Shultz
Dean
is the President of Gettysburg Engineering.
He is a graduate of Penn State University and a lifelong resident of the
Gettysburg area. Dean is the
current owner of what was known as the “Peter Baker property” at the time of
the battle. His farm has been
handed down through his family since 1847.
Dean will be sharing some of the legends and stories he has heard from
his family over the years.
Lincoln
At Gettysburg – The Soldiers National Cemetery – Diane Smith
Diane was raised in Adams County, PA and currently resides in Gettysburg. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education at Shippensburg University of PA. Smith taught Social Studies and Foreign Languages at local school districts from 1995-99. She has served as a National Park Service Ranger at the Gettysburg National Military Park since 1993.
The
People Of Gettysburg During The Civil War: An Awful Reality - Tim Smith
Tim,
a native of Baltimore, is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at the Gettysburg
National Military Park. He is a
Research Historian for the Adams County Historical Society and a life long
student of the Battle. He has
published numerous articles on the Soldiers and Civilian Experience at the
Battle. He is the author of The Story of Lee’s Headquarters Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and is
the co-author of Devil’s Den – A
History and Guide. Tim is on
the Board of Directors of the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association.
The
West Point Class Of 1846
– Ed Suplee
Ed
retired
after 27 years with MetLife, most recently as Vice President of National
Accounts in Chicago. He has had a
life long interest in the Civil War, which began when he attended Washington and
Lee University in Lexington, VA where he earned his BA degree.
He also served two years in the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant in charge of a
tank platoon. He is a volunteer
interpreter at the Gettysburg National Military Park.
Civil
War Medical Care -
Ron Waddell
Ron
has been engaged in teaching history as a Living History Interpreter and
Re-enactor for over 30 years. His involvement in the Civil War started 18 years
ago when he accepted the position as Medical Dir. of MG J.E.B. Stuart's staff
and Escort, a living history group. His unique portrayal has taken him to
programs in schools and colleges from South Carolina to Pennsylvania, and
Canada. During his research of civil war medicine, he became aware and
interested in the huge contribution that women made during that period to assist
in the care of the wounded. He is currently the president of the Hygeia
Foundation, a non-profit foundation created expressly for commemorating the
activities of the women of this period of history. This organization is
researching and planning to construct a memorial to the women of Gettysburg.
Ron is also currently serving as Director and Board Historian on the
Board of Directors for the Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association.
Three
Days In July – 1863: The Battle of Gettysburg
– Larry Wallace
Larry is a graduate of East Stroudsburg University. He did graduate work at East Stroudsburg, Penn State
University and Western Maryland College. Larry
retired from the South Western School District after 38 years.
He has been a licensed Battlefield Guide since 1985.
Larry is an instructor in Continuing Education courses and seminars
relating to the Civil War.
Elderhostel
Director for Historic Gettysburg Battlefield Programs, Deb Yocum
Deb began coordinating the Historic Gettysburg
Battlefield Elderhostel programs in 1993. She moved to Gettysburg as a nine year
old, born in York, PA. After attending Gettysburg High School and Shippensburg
University, she began her working career in the Office of the District Attorney
for Adams County. Children followed with part-time positions for the County and
later the YWCA of Gettysburg & Adams County. She has been employed with the
YWCA, sponsor of the Elderhostel programs, for 15 years. Deb has been active in
community organizations acting as a liaison for the YWCA, volunteering with the
Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Committee; Board of Directors for Volunteers
for Youth, Big Brothers, Big Sisters Program and Adams County Council of
Community Services; Adams County Bicentennial Committee; organized a County-wide
“Women In History Writing Contest”, and Assistant Director for the “Spirit
Of Gettysburg” 5K run. Deb
delivers numerous speaking engagements throughout the year and writes an
Elderhostel column for The Gettysburg Times, the local newspaper.
Accommodations & Attractions Curriculum Testimonials
YWCA of Gettysburg & Adams County
909 Fairfield Road · Gettysburg, PA 17325
(717) 334-9171
Last Updated: February 13, 2004
