Participants

STAFF

Alexa Cawley (Co-Director)
Alexa Cawley is a 2004 graduate of American University with a Ph.D. in American Colonial History.  A resident of the Eastern Shore since 1989, she concentrated her doctoral research on the founding of Kent County in the 17th century, paying close attention to household and community structures and interaction among the early settlers. Her current research focuses on moving forward in the Eastern Shore story, continuing to track down as many residents as possible.  She is also looking into the developing merchant class that appeared in the 18th century, their networks of exchange in a changing economy, and the increased complexity of the workforce in the late colonial and early national periods. Dr. Cawley is an Assistant Professor at Delaware State University, but has also taught at Washington College and American University.  She lives in Chestertown with her husband and two sons. 

Adam Goodheart (Co-Director)
Adam Goodheart (Co-Director) is the Hodson Trust-Griswold Director of the C.V. Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience at Washington College. He has been a prolific and award-winning writer on history for many national publications, including National Geographic, Smithsonian, the New York Times (where he also served as Deputy Op-Ed Editor) and The American Scholar. He is at work on a book on the history and legacy of slavery in America. At Washington College, Goodheart has taught courses on subjects ranging from the Jamestown colony to American travel writing to the literary craft of history.

Kees de Mooy (Program Manager)
Kees de Mooy is Program Manager at the C.V. Starr Center.  He has worked as a historic consultant to groups including Historic Easton and Sultana Projects, and is a former contractor specializing in historic restoration.  After twenty years in construction, Kees returned to Washington College for a degree in history, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Historic Preservation at the University of Maryland.  Kees is a former member of the Chestertown Historic District Commission and is coauthor of Chestertown’s Historic District Design Guidelines.  He is Vice President of Preservation Incorporated, a local non-profit group that is spearheading the effort to restore Charles Sumner Hall, the last surviving African American Civil War veterans’ lodge left standing in the nation.

Darryl Calloway (Master Teacher)
Darryl Calloway is department chair and teaches sixth grade social studies at Sudlersville Middle School.  A National Board Certified Teacher and a doctoral candidate at Wilmington College, Darryl has taught for fifteen years.  Darryl was named both Queen Anne’s County Teacher of the Year and finalist for Maryland Teacher of the Year for the 2002-03 school year.  His bachelor’s and master’s degrees (both in history) were obtained from Washington College, where Darryl has also supervised many teacher interns.  Darryl is a Maryland Service-Learning Fellow and has served on numerous committees at the school and district levels.  He has participated in several Teaching American History seminars.  This past year Darryl was a presenter on the topic of “Archaeology in the Classroom” at the National Council on History Education national conference.  With his wife, Lucia, Darryl has traveled extensively around the world and is a former professional ballroom dancer.

TEACHERS

Erick T. Brown
Erick Brown is a High School Social Studies teacher at Elkton High School in Elkton, Maryland. He holds an A.S. in Manufacturing Engineering Technology from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, a B.S. in Secondary Education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, and is currently attending the College of Notre Dame in the Masters in Educational Leadership program. Erick is currently helping to develop an African American Studies curriculum for Elkton High School and is an avid outdoorsman in his spare time.

 

Karen Frison
Karen Frison is a Music/Chorus Teacher at Chestertown and Galena Middle Schools. As a child, she could often be found singing, babysitting, or playing school.  The combination of these great loves, singing and working with children, propelled her toward a career teaching music.  A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Karen has been living and working in Kent County for fourteen years.  In addition to Music, she has also taught Math, Language Arts, Social Studies, Spanish, Art, and Band.  In 2004-2005, Karen participated in a Teacher Institute sponsored by the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History and Culture, which increased her desire to learn more about her history heritage. She resides in Still Pond, MD with her husband, pastor, and fellow Kent County teacher, Leon Frison, their two daughters, a college junior and freshman, and a son who is in middle school.

Jamie Hoopes
Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jamie Hoopes attended Dickinson College and earned a MAT from American University.  He spent 8 years in Washington, DC: three on Capitol Hill as an aid to Senator Arlen Specter, and five as a teacher.  His time in Washington included three years teaching history at The McLean School of Maryland.  He has taught 7th and 8th grade history at The Country School for the past two years.  Jamie enjoys visiting historical sites and reading about history in general, as well as spending time outdoors.  He plays tennis and soccer.

Monica Jett
Monica Jett was born and raised in the "city of bridges," Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Moon High School in 1995, then furthered her education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, from which she graduated with a degree in Secondary Education Social Studies in 2000. In August 2001, she accepted a job at Salisbury Middle School teaching 8th grade World History. After three years, Monica moved to 7th grade and found her passion in teaching U.S History with a strong focus on Colonial America through the Civil War. She is currently enrolled at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, pursuing her Masters in Guidance and Counseling with an anticipated graduation date of December 2007.  Monica enjoys working with students and teaching them about their past in order to help them gain wisdom for their future.

Mark Lowrie
As a lifelong resident of Maryland, Mark has lived in all of the Free Line state's regions. He currently resides in Dorchester County where he has been teaching middle school social studies for the past six years. He is a graduate of Frostburg State University and Flagler College and enjoys reading, music and anything fun outdoors. He is the proud owner of one "high maintenance" lab named Seneca.

Kathryn Riley
Kathryn Riley is a graduate of Washington College and Drexel University.  Originally from Curtis Bay, Maryland, she teaches social studies and language arts at Chestertown Middle School.

Amy Roose
Amy Sigman Roose is originally from Kent County, Maryland.  Mrs. Roose graduated from Washington College in 1991, completing the education block, with a BA in History, and spent her junior year  abroad in St. Andrews, Scotland.  She has primarily taught American history and mathematics at the middle and high school levels at the Gunston School in Centerville, St. Anne's Episcopal School in Middletown, Delaware, and currently at the Tome School in North East.  Mrs. Roose currently resides in Cecil County Maryland with her husband and two kids.  She enjoys reading and traveling with her family.

Shelly Westergard
Shelly Westergard teaches social studies at Elkton High School, Cecil County.  She also develops curriculum for the county, most recently Contemporary World Studies, a newly required course for seniors.  She is currently engaged in developing a new freshman course in African American Studies with her colleague Erick Brown, to be piloted in Spring 2008.  She holds undergraduate degrees from University of Delaware in Art History and History Education and is currently earning a graduate degree in Curriculum and Instruction from McDaniel College.  Shelly lives in New Castle County, Delaware with her daughter and son and five cats.  Her interests include science fiction, the beach, and cooking.  The satisfaction she derives from teaching history is profound and she is most pleased to be a part of this summer’s workshops along the Chesapeake.      

STUDENTS

Samantha Blau
A senior history major at Washington College, Samantha Blau grew up in Frederick, Maryland.  She is pursuing a certificate in secondary education and hopes to eventually teach at the college level.  She spends her summers in the Education Department at the Maryland Science Center, singing, dancing, and engaging children in creative exploration.  A member of Washington College’s Varsity Swim Team, Samantha is an active participant in pick-up games of the eighteenth century sport of Town Ball, recently resurrected at Washington College.

Jasper Colt
Jasper is currently a sophomore at Washington College studying to become a high school social studies teacher. Born and raised in and around Olympia, Washington, Jasper recently made the Eastern Shore of Maryland his permanent home. In addition to studying history, Jasper enjoys sailing, music, photography and cooking.

Anna Green
Anna Green will be a junior at Washington College in the fall, and is considering a double major in history and anthropology.  Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, her historical interests center upon early America and 17th and 18th century Europe.

Carrie Happoldt
From an early age, Carrie’s mother installed in her a love of history and material culture.  Instead of Disneyland, her family spent vacations at plantations.  A native Delawarean, Carrie attended the University of Delaware, where she majored in History with a specialization in American Studies. After graduation, she served as Educational Programs Coordinator of the Biggs Museum of American Art for four years, before deciding to pursue her Master's Degree in history at Washington College.  Carrie is excited to be selected for "Chesapeake Journey" and looks forward to meeting everyone soon!

LECTURERS & SPECIAL GUESTS

Ira Berlin
Ira Berlin is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland and one of the nation’s leading historians.  He has written extensively on the history of slavery in North America and across the Atlantic World.  Berlin is founding editor of the Freedmen and Southern Society Project, and author of several ground-breaking books, including Generations of Captivity: A History of Slaves in the United States, which won the Albert Beveridge Prize in 2002; Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery in Mainland North America, recipient of the Frederick Douglass Prize, the Owsley Prize, the Rudwick Prize, and the Bancroft Prize for the best book in American History in 1999; and Slaves Without Masters: The Free Negro in the Antebellum South, awarded the Best First Book Prize from the National Historical Society in 1975.

Rex Ellis
Rex Ellis is Vice President for the Historic Area at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.  A historian, teacher, and storyteller, he earned his doctorate from the College of William & Mary.  Prior to his current position, he served as Curator and Chairman of the Division of Cultural History at the National Museum of American History and as Director of Colonial Williamsburg’s Department of African-American Interpretation and Presentations.  Dr. Ellis is author of numerous books, including Beneath the Blazing Sun and With a Banjo on My Knee: A Musical Journey from Slavery to Freedom.

Jill Ogline
Jill Ogline is Associate Director of the C.V. Starr Center.  Her historical interests span three centuries of African American history, centering primarily on the modern civil rights movement and the history of slavery and abolitionism across the Atlantic World.  A former National Park Service ranger, she is also fascinated by the questions of memory, identity, and representation that underpin the field of public history.  Jill holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Massachusetts, and is currently at work revising her dissertation on Prince Edward County, Virginia, the high water mark of southern resistance to school desegregation, into a book manuscript.

Rohulamin Quander
Judge Rohulamin Quander earned his B.A. and J.D. from Howard University.  He has   served as an administrative judge for the District of Columbia government since the late 1980s, and as Mayor's Agent for Historic Preservation since 1998.  Judge Quander is the motivating force behind efforts to document and publicize the unique and distinguished history of the Quander family, whose ancestors served George Washington at Mount Vernon.  He is author of The Quander Quality: The True Story of a Black Trailblazing Diabetic.

Edward C. Smith
Edward C. Smith is a third-generation Washingtonian and Director of the American Studies Program at American University.  He is Founder and Co-Director of the American University Civil War Institute and a frequent contributor to the “Civil War Page” of The Washington Times.  Professor Smith is a lecturer and study tour leader for the Smithsonian Institution, the National Park Service, and the Historical Society of Washington, DC, and served as a presidential speechwriter during the Carter Administration.

T. Stephen Whitman
T. Stephen Whitman is Assistant Professor of History at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he teaches courses on race and slavery, early American history, the African Diaspora, and the American Civil War.  Professor Whitman earned his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University and is the author of two seminal books on slavery in the Chesapeake: Challenging Slavery in the Chesapeake: Black and White Resistance to Human Bondage, 1775-1865 and The Price of Freedom: Slavery and the Price of Freedom in Baltimore and Early National Maryland

Henry Wiencek
Henry Wiencek is the author of An Imperfect God: George Washington, His Slaves, and the Creation of America, winner of the 1994 Los Angeles Times Book Award for History. A prolific writer on slavery, architecture, and the Founding Fathers, his other books include The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award; the National Geographic Guide to America’s Great Houses; Plantations of the Old South; and The Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: Southern New England.