PATRICIA ANDERSEN
RALPH BUGLASS
A retired communications professional, Ralph Buglass is a volunteer docent at the restored one-room Kingsley Schoolhouse (1893-1935) in Clarksburg, an experience that has sparked a deep interest in the early days of public education in Montgomery County. He was the 2014 recipient of a national service award from the Country Schoolhouse Association of America for his volunteer work. A Montgomery County native, he is also a product of the Montgomery County Public School system.
JUDITH CHRISTENSEN
Judith Christensen has worked as an architectural historian and preservation planner for municipal and county governments, private clients and historical/preservation groups since 1985. As a contractor, she surveyed and wrote historic sites surveys and evaluations for over 400 historical sites in Maryland and Virginia. She has written newspaper articles and other publications on local history and architecture. She was a founder of the Gaithersburg Heritage Museum (now Gaithersburg Community Museum) and currently serves as museum historian and on the collections committee. She is Executive Director of Montgomery Preservation Inc. and is also on the board of the Montgomery County Alliance for Heritage Tourism and the Montgomery County MOOseum.
EMILY CORRELL
DONNA EVERS
Donna Evers is president and broker of Evers & Co. Real Estate and has more than 30 years of experience in the Washington metro area housing market. A self-described “house and history addict,” Donna writes frequently about historic properties and neighborhood development for Washington Life magazine and the Georgetowner. She has co-hosted her own radio show on WMET-1160 AM and appears regularly on local television and radio programs to discuss trends in local real estate. Donna’s passion for wine led her to open Twin Oaks Tavern winery in Bluemont, Va.-the 23rd property she has renovated with her husband Bob. With a BA in English Literature from the University of Michigan and an MA in English from the University of California at Irvine, Donna has grown her real estate business to more than 80 seasoned agents, selling the area’s finest properties since 1985.
ELAINE R. FORS-MACKELLAR
Elaine R. Fors-MacKellar, M.S., is an attorney and educator in Montgomery County. She is a life-long resident of Montgomery County, and currently lives in Boyds.
WALTER A. GOETZ
Walter A. Goetz is an engineer by vocation and education, and a gold mine historian by avocation. He holds Mechanical Engineering and advanced Engineering Management degrees. He has been doing historical research on gold mining close to the Nation’s Capital, particularly in Maryland and near-by Virginia for the last 40 years. Walt has retraced the steps of a multitude of prospectors and miners, verifying and documenting remnants of the gold mines of this area. During the process of exploration and research he has accumulated what is undoubtedly the largest collection of local gold mining documents, photographs and memorabilia in existence. Walt presents a slide show and interesting anecdotes about the gold mining in Maryland or Virginia, depending on the audience.
CLARENCE HICKEY
Clarence Hickey is an interpretive docent with the Montgomery County Historical Society’s (MCHS) Stonestreet Museum of 19th Century Medicine in Rockville, MD, and a re-enactor with the MCHS Speakers Bureau. He portrays historic Rockville physician Dr. Edward E. Stonestreet who practiced medicine for 51 years (1852-1903) and was a Civil War Surgeon with the U. S. Army. His living history portrayals, some in first person Chautauqua format, discuss: the Doctor’s life and times, medical education, medical practice, and Civil War service; 19th century medicine; and Civil War medicine and its effects on civilian medical practice. The Chatauqua format includes a first person appearance and presentation by Dr. Stonestreet (in 19th century attire), question and answer by the doctor in the 1800s, and question and answer by Clarence, stepping out of character. The performance draws from Clarence’s book SEND FOR THE DOCTOR: The Life and times of Dr. Edward E. Stonestreet, 19th Century Physician & Civil War Surgeon, Montgomery County,Maryland, published by the Montgomery County Historical Society in 2009.
DON HOUSLEY
Don Housley retired in July, 2005, after 36 years teaching U.S. history and serving the last 25 years of his teaching career as chairman of the Social Studies Department at Wheaton High School in Montgomery County, Maryland. Currently, he volunteers in the Office of Archaeology for Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission-Montgomery County, Mr. Housley also serves as president of the Mid-Potomac Chapter of the Archeological Society of Maryland and secretary of the Montgomery County Civil War Round Table.
JIM JOHNSTON
Jim Johnston, www.jameshjohnston.com, is a writer and lawyer in Washington DC. His articles on history, books, law, and technology have appeared in The Washington Post and Washington Post Magazine, The American Lawyer, Corporate Counsel, Legal Times of Washington, L Magazine and the Montgomery County Historical Society Story. His history writings encompass such diverse topics as Yarrow Mamout, who is the subject of one of the best, early, African-American portraits, and Confederate General John McCausland, who claimed that he could have captured Washington DC in July 1864 if he only had more men. Most recently, he published a book on the Loughborough family entitled, The Recollections of Margaret Cabell Brown Loughborough: A Southern Woman’s Memories of Richmond, VA and Washington, DC in the Civil War. To learn more about this book and the Loughborough family visit his blog at http://margaretsrecollections.wordpress.com.
PATRICK LACEFIELD
Patrick Lacefield is the spokesman for the Montgomery County Executive and a Civil War reenactor who shares songs and stories from the War Between the States, wearing both blue and gray, accompanying himself on guitar. His maternal great-great-grandfather served in the Arkansas State Legislature during “independence” and his sons fought with the Arkansas cavalry. On his father’s side, Patrick’s ancestors served in the Tennessee infantry. Recently, he participated in the filming of the motion picture “Gods & Generals,” portraying a soldier from the 20th Maine Regiment. He is a native of Arkansas who grew up in Missouri.
KAREN YAFFE LOTTES
Karen Yaffe Lottes is an historian and museum educator. She worked for many years as Education Director for the Montgomery County Historical Society and is currently a museum consultant. She has developed site-specific and county-wide local history programs, including “In Search of Ghosts,” one of the first history-based Halloween programs in the Washington, D.C. area. In Search of Maryland Ghosts: Montgomery County is Karen’s first book, although she has published extensively on the history of Montgomery County, MD in MCHS publications as well as in local newspapers. She lives in historic Washington Grove, MD with her family and several furry companions.
MAUDE MCGOVERN
Maude McGovern has spoken on Rockville’s Underground Railroad to numerous community groups and at the Maryland State Archives. She has a BA and MA in American Civilization and indulges her lifelong interest in local history as a volunteer with the Montgomery County Historical Society and The Menare Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Underground Railroad history.
EILEEN MCGUCKIAN
Eileen McGuckian holds a BA degree from the University of Maryland, an MA from Western Maryland college, and a Master of Philosophy in American Studies from George Washington University. She is an accomplished historian, author, and recognized leader in historic preservation at the local, regional, and state levels. She is founder, past president, and immediate past Executive Director of Peerless Rockville Historic Preservation, Ltd. Her 2001 book, Rockville: Portrait of a City, is a signature project of Rockville’s Millennium Celebration. Eileen has written numerous other articles and books on local and state history, including The Sesquicentennial of Rockville: Local Government at 150 Years published in 2010. She has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Maryland Historical Trust, Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission, Rockville Historic District Commission, Montgomery County History Consortium, and the Rotary Club of Rockville.
LORRAINE DUTCHER MINOR
Ms. Lorraine Dutcher Minor is a past president of the Genealogy Club of the Montgomery County Historical Society and has served as chair of the Education Committee. Ms. Minor has completed the National Genealogical Society home study course and several Family History courses from Brigham Young University and attended the National Institute on Genealogical Research. She is a volunteer at the Washington DC Family History Center in Kensington, MD and teaches classes and speaks locally on basic genealogical subjects. She is currently doing research on her ancestors from Maine, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio and helping her husband with research in Tennessee and Kentucky.
JEFF NAGY
An amateur geologist and mineral collector, Jeff is an expert on the mineralogy and mining history of Montgomery County.
JILL NEWMARK
Jill Newmark is a historian who works for the National Library of Medicine at NIH.
WILLIAM OFFUTT
A native of Montgomery County, William Offutt is a retired public school and Montgomery College teacher. He is the author of Bethesda: A Social History and A History of Montgomery County as well as numerous articles for local newspapers and the Montgomery County Historical Society. He and his wife live in Bethesda.
ANTHONY PITCH
Anthony S. Pitch is the author of a number of books, the most recent being The Burning of Washington: The British Invasion of 1814. He is also the author of, “They Have Killed Papa Dead!” – The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. He lives with his wife in Potomac, MD.
ROBERT PLUMB
Robert C. Plumb’s book, Your Brother in Arms: A Union Soldier’s Odyssey, was published by the University of Missouri Press as part of its Blue and Gray Series in June 2011. A resident of Potomac, Robert is a long-time member of MCHS, active in the Civil War Trust and a member of the Society of Civil War Historians.
DOROTHY PUGH
Dorothy Pugh has had a lifelong interest in history which she was able to turn from hobby to vocation when she volunteered for many years at the Montgomery County Historical Society’s Library and Archives as an assistant librarian and researcher. She has researched and written extensively about the history of Montgomery County, MD. Her article “Ghost Stories of Montgomery County,” published in the Montgomery County Story, led her to the realization that most paranormal happenings can be tied into the history of a house or place, thus creating an intriguing story.
CANDACE RIDINGTON
Candace Ridington has an M.A. in English and American Literature and taught at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa, and at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She is the author of RUBICON, a treatment of the love affair between Emily Dickinson’s brother Austin, and Mabel Todd, who completed the first editions of Dickinson’s poetry in the 1890’s. She has taught Elder Hostels on Emily Dickinson. Candace’s focus now lies in dramatic presentations of selected female characters. She writes the scripts and performs each role as well. Characters include Emily Dickinson, Louisa May Alcott, Olivia Twain, Clara Schumann, and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Candace has also created a dramatic presentation about the Underground Railroad featuring dramatic, cameo-like glimpses of people, both anonymous and known, who were involved. This includes Louisa May Alcott who also served as a nurse at the Georgetown Union Hotel Hospital during the Civil War. Candace plays each role.
SUSAN SODERBERG
Susan Soderberg is a public historian with the Germantown Historical Society (Maryland), and the Friends of Oakley Cabin and the Underground Railroad. She has written several historical documents including: A Guide to Civil War Sites in Maryland: Blue and Gray in a Border State; The Met: A History of the Metropolitan Branch of the B&O Railroad; Lest We Forget: A Guide to Civil War Monuments in Maryland; Who Was Who of the Civil War Correspondents; and A History of Germantown, Maryland. Susan is a Commissioner on the Governor’s Commission of Military Monuments, on the Board of the Germantown Historical Society, and holds membership in numerous national and local historical associations. Susan was one of two researchers for the 2011 film “Life in a War Zone: Montgomery County in the Civil War,” produced by Heritage Montgomery.
MARK THORNE
Mark Thorne is the Program Manager for the Woodlawn Museum at Woodlawn Cultural Park, and responsible for the development and delivery of public interpretive programming focusing on the historic site. He is the former Director of Visitor Services for National Children’s Museum (NCM). His museum career began in 1985 when he joined NCM as a youth intern serving as an Exhibit Educator in the museum exhibits. Throughout his years at NCM, Mark held various positions such as Director of Museum Operations directly overseeing the development and management of all museum public programs and staff. As Director of Guest Services, he oversaw all earned revenue sources including box office, reservations, commissions, and event rentals. In the position, Director of the Museum Without Walls, he developed and directed all community and school outreach programs, and serves as part of the team responsible for securing government funding for the new museum. Mr. Thorne, a native Washingtonian, attended Norfolk State University, and completed his Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from the University of the District Columbia while working full time at the museum. He is also the Founder and CEO of Thorne Management Services, LLC which provides consulting services to non-profits and youth-based organizations.
JUDITH WELLES
Judith Welles authored the book, Cabin John: Legends and Life of an Uncommon Place, a local history, published in 2008. The name Cabin John is steeped in mystery and legends and the area has historical significance. The Union Arch Bridge, known today as the Cabin John Bridge, was built during the Civil War to carry the Washington aqueduct. It is the longest single-span stone arch bridge in the United States. Never before published photos show the grandeur of the Cabin John Bridge Hotel, a resort destination in the 1890s and early 1900s. Ms. Welles was media relations manager for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Washington, D.C., and media specialist with IBM in Bethesda, Md. She was previously Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and, later, Director of Communications for the U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. She has been a speechwriter for three Cabinet Secretaries. She has provided strategic communications advice to nonprofit health organizations and environmental groups. She is a journalist and freelance writer, formerly worklife editor for a dot-com news service and a worklife columnist and blogger for a technology magazine. Judy leads walking history tours of Cabin John.