Ray Ables - Born and raised in South America, Ray attained native fluency in both English and Spanish. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Alabama with a specialization in Latin American Relations and a Spanish Minor. Ray is a certified medical interpreter with many years of experience working as a translator and interpreter, as well as teaching Spanish to businesses and individuals. This line of work eventually led to full-time teaching at private schools, where he taught Spanish and Latin for eight years. In 2009 he presented “How to Wow: Combining Technology and the 5 C's in the Spanish Classroom” at the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers Conference in Birmingham, AL. He co-presented “Madrid in New Mexico: A Model for Bridging Cultures in the Spanish Classroom” at the 2008 Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers Conference in Montgomery.

Sezer Aksel was born and raised in Turkey and came to the US to study medicine.  She was trained as an Obstetrician-Gynecologist and sub-specialized in reproductive endocrinology in Turkey and at Johns Hopkins.  While teaching at the University of South Alabama, she established the division of Reproductive Endocrinology.

Janet Anderson is an avid four-times-a-week bridge player.  She has been the director of Duplicate Bridge at the Daphne Senior Center since 2006, and teaches beginning bridge as well.  

David Bagwell has been listed for two decades in the book “The Best Lawyers in America”, currently in the fields of commercial litigation and antitrust. He has published six historical articles or books on South Alabama history, in addition to 25 boring technical legal articles or parts of legal books on Federal court practice and antitrust law, including “Your Momma’s Rules to Stay Out of Antitrust Trouble”, a recognized humorous antitrust training sheet. He has a history degree from Vanderbilt, and traveled the world for a year studying international business. He graduated second in his law school class and was a judge for six years in Federal court in the Southern District of Alabama, covering the counties of Southwest Alabama. He is a jackleg local historian who is not certified by any history or teaching organization, which leaves him completely free to make the subject interesting.

Andrea Bassett-Walton has been a member of Gypsy Chicks, a professional Tribal Style Bellydance troupe located in Daphne, since 2005.  She has performed at the Renaissance Fairs in Pensacola and Mobile, at the Hog Wild Barbecue Cook-Off in Mobile, the Zydeco Festival in Daphne, and many other venues.

Diane Bernasconi holds a degree in Clothing and Textiles and has had a passion for sewing since she was eight years old.   A drapery designer for 23 years, she is a nationally certified drapery designer by the Window Covering Association of America, and a nationally certified sewing  instructor by the Home Sewing Association.  She is presently teaching Family and Consumer Sciences at Spanish Fort Middle School.

Kirsten Bradley is an acclaimed porcelain artist and teacher.  She travels throughout the world to exhibit and demonstrate, and has published numerous art works and articles.

Rebecca Dunn Bryant, a certified professional with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program of the U.S. Green Building Council, has worked in passive solar adobe construction and is a certified permaculture designer.  Her work with Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects includes the Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s LEED Lab building, and her new green home serves as a demonstration site for green building strategies. 

Louis J. Campomenosi, Ph.D., is an Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Tulane University, where he is teaching a variety of political science courses on American Foreign Policy, the War on Terror, the Vietnam War, and American Government. He is also an adjunct political science faculty member at the University of South Mobile (USM) where he teaches similar courses.

Dr. Campomenosi is the founder and executive director of The Louisiana Foundation for the Study of the Vietnam War and author of a book under review at Texas Tech University Press entitled, Vietnam, U.S. Policy and the New York Times: A Reinterpretation of the Times’ Editorial Coverage, 1945-65. He is a retired career Marine and Gulf War veteran.  Since retiring from the Marines in 1992, he has taught several courses at Louisiana State University (LSU) and Tulane on International Relations, American Foreign Policy, and the War on Terror, and a course entitled, Vietnam: Policy and Process. 

He has presented a number of papers on Vietnam and the New York Times at Texas Tech’s Center for the Study of the Vietnam War; participated in many panels on the Vietnam War and on American Foreign Policy; hosted a four-part television series on Vietnam that aired in Baton Rouge in 2001; participated in a debate on the Iraq War at LSU in February 2003, defending the justice of the war; and in March 2006 in another debate at USM’s Gulfport Campus argued that Iraq was a “war of necessity, not choice.”  While at USM, he wrote several columns in the Biloxi Sun Herald about the Iraq War and one on Homeland Security with his former Tulane colleague Professor David Clinton.

Christina Caprez is a Yoga Alliance certified teacher who has taught previously at University of South Alabama, the Fairhope Art Center, and the Spa at the Marriott Grand Hotel.  She has studied with many yoga teachers and attended numerous workshops all over the United States.

Connie Cazort taught primary age children for 25 years and has told stories professionally for over 20 years in museums, bookstores and classrooms.  She has been a Teacher Trainer, an Enrichment Specialist in Creative Dramatics, an Education Consultant and presenter of “Playing with Language, the Art of Storytelling”. 

John Cleverdon, who holds a BA and MA, has taught two-dimensional design and print-making in the art departments of Jacksonville University and the University of South Alabama, where he served as department chairman for five years before retiring from teaching.  He has had three one-person shows and his work has been shown in juried and invitational exhibitions at UAB< New Orleans, Chattanooga, and Madison, Wisconsin. He regularly exhibits works with the Mobile Art Association and the Watercolor and Graphic Arts Society of Mobile. John’s work has been shown in Gulf Art Space, the Eastern Shore Art Center, the Mobile Museum of Art, and the Eichold Gallery at Spring Hill College. In 1999 Ian Robertson’s Slow Loris Press of Fairhope published Questions of Form, a book of poems by Mickey Cleverdon and woodcuts by John Cleverdon.

Mickey Cleverdon received a B.A. in music and English at Converse College, and a Master of Arts in English from the University of Alabama. She taught English at Jacksonville University, Bishop State College, the University of South Alabama, and Spring Hill College. Besides the collaboration with her husband on the chapbook, “Questions of Form”, she also participated with him in the show 2X2 at the Mobile Museum of Art, with poems and portraits based on her collection of poems, “Women of Character.”
 Mickey and Jo Patton presented a show at the Eastern Shore Art Center, “Wharfs and Words,” which included a catalogue, “Angles of Reflection”, edited by Fran Neumann. Mickey’s poetry has appeared in Negative Capability, Penumbra, Red Bluff Review, and “Whatever Remembers Us: an Anthology of Alabama Poetry”, edited by Sue Walker.
Mickey describes her inspiration for poetry: “The love of poetry, music and art intertwine with the people who have opened doors and windows into these amazing worlds for me. My mother’s reading poems and stories, my father’s singing ballads and old college songs to us were important influences in my life, as well as pure enjoyment.  I admired words of art as a teenager, going to the museum in Birmingham, thumbing through art books in the library. [Husband] John gave me a deeper awareness of art, its impact on the artist as well as the viewer. His devotion to creating art works, and his breadth of understanding of the history and processes of art opened that world, too.”

Lorna Daniell   spent 30 years teaching calligraphy in Mexico City at the Seminario Teologico Bautista de Lomas Verdes.  She and her husband served 38 years with the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Lorna is currently Liaison for Hispanic Migrants in the ESL/Migrant Program of the Mobile County Public School System.  She holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and studied calligraphy and graphic arts in post-graduate work at the University of Houston as well as in a private studio as a member of the Houston Calligraphy Guild. 

Greg Dorriety is a Certified Financial Planner^TM and President of Optimum Asset Management, Inc.  He credits his background in chemical engineering, technical sales and project management with his ability to break down problems into simple terms and to assist clients with their complex financial decisions.

Ron Driesbach is certified as an Instructor in T’ai Chi for Arthritis.  His early government career trained him in Chinese language, history and culture.  Ron has studied under three Master Instructors in Yang style T’ai Chi and is a member of the National Qigung Association. 

Donna Esslinger was a research historian for the Michigan Department of State, and editor of the state’s historical publications, including its quarterly magazine.  Her varied career has included teaching, commercial writing, and owning a book store. 

Colonel Glenn Frazier is author of the best-selling Book, Hell's Guest, which details his experiences during World War II, the Bataan Death March and as a Japanese Prisoner of War. He is an Alabama boy who ran away to join the army at the age of 16 and six months later found himself in the doomed struggle to save Bataan from the Japanese advance.  He was captured, marched north in the infamous Bataan Death march and spent the next three and a half years struggling for his life in Japanese POW camps. Among his many awards are four Purple Hearts, A Bronze Star, and the Medal of Freedom, the U.S. Senate’s highest award. Col. Frazier has been featured in numerous venues over the years, including Ken Burns’ Florentine Films World War II Documentaries, Larry King Live, and the World Broadcast on BBC London. In 2009 he was made an honorary Admiral by the USS Alabama Battleship Commission.  He is also the founder of the Alabama Common Sense Campaign.

Ruth Geraci is a retired educator and music lover who discovered the hammered dulcimer when she moved to the Gulf Coast from N.H. a few years ago. She particularly enjoys the versatility of this beautiful instrument, on which may be played everything from classical and folk to ragtime and blues. Ruth is a member of Jam’n’Folks, a folk instrument group in Fairhope, and a founding member of the Gulf Coast Hammer Jammers.

Barbara Gleszer is a past president of the San Fernando Valley Chapter of the American Needlepoint Guild.  She has developed stitch guides for canvas, principally for MaggiCo of San Francisco, and executed her interpretation of their designs for use in classes and shows.

Rebecca Harmon is an experienced crochet teacher who loves to share her craft with others.  She  is comfortable working with both right and left-handed students.

Blair Heald, a public school teacher in Baldwin County, has been making Temari since 1998.  When she saw ESILL offered the class, it looked like an activity her gifted education students might enjoy. Today, she still keeps Temari supplies in her classroom for her students.  She is a member of the Japanese Temari Association and has achieved her Koutouka or advanced level certification.  This past summer, she made her third trip to Japan.

Art Holder, Vice President of the ESILL Board, has a B.A. in Education and a Master’s in Psychology from third rate institutions.  He has been a laborer, paperboy, gas station attendant (back when they actually washed your windshield), Peace Corps volunteer and a member of the FBI. 

Brenda Huchingson holds a Ph.D. degree in English.  She taught college English for over 30 years at Tulane, the University of South Carolina, and Hampton University in Virginia.  Brenda is President of the ESILL Board.

Paul Huchingson, who serves as Treasurer of ESILL, is a retired United States Air Force pilot who also taught Aerospace Science for eleven years.

Mike Hutchison has been a professional musician since 1977 playing guitar, harmonica, bass and mandolin, with composition and recording experience.  He is currently the lead singer in the group Blind Dog Mike and the Howlers.

Robin Hutchison taught the hearing impaired for 13 years and also worked as a sign language interpreter.  She taught the Basic American Sign Language course at the University of South Alabama.

David Hughes, a composer and percussionist, was fortunate enough to be raised around the rich musical waters of coastal Alabama. This geographic location placed him inside a mixture of music that included Gospel, Country, Mardi Gras Marches, Classical and Rock. Hughes has gained valuable experience through fifteen years of facilitating a variety of percussion and music centered events. His work with diverse groups of people helped him develop unique and versatile approaches to music creation and education. Hughes’ body of work could be considered a musical gumbo of sorts and includes pieces that could be labeled as folk, modern, classical and a mixture of other genres as well. As an educator his varied background has afforded him the ability to create positive learning environments for adults and children alike.

Sam Irby is a practicing attorney and a principal of Irby and Heard, P.C. in Fairhope.  He is a past President of the Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, a past Chairman of the Board of Thomas Hospital, and a Charter Member and past President of the Eastern Shore Sertoma Club.

Jim Jennings enjoys travel, writing (he is still working on The Great American Novel), wine tasting, special times with his grandchildren, golf, exercise, and of course – Sudoku.  “My engineering training and technical problem solving background at GM convinced me that there just had to be a logical way to approach this intriguing puzzle,” says Jim.  “I now have a process that works every time but still does not take away from the challenging aspects of Sudoku.”  Jim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Case-Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio and has taken a broad range of Statistics and Quality Assurance classes from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.  He has taught over 350 students in Sudoku Strategies in Orange Beach, Fairhope, and Franklin, Tennessee.  He helped launch Shainin Statistical Engineering for Problem Solving at Adam Opel AG in Germany and later helped GM’s world-wide supplier base use statistical engineering to solve complex issues in the automotive world. 

Angelica Jones is a Ukrainian American born and raised in Kiev, Ukraine. She has been living in the U.S. since 1991, and is a former college professor/instructor both in Ukraine and here in the U.S.

Kim Jones has played numerous instruments ranging from trombone to piano to banjo and dobro. While earning a Master’s degree in Educational Administration she taught bluegrass as well as undergraduate-level chemistry and animal science. She has played studio sessions across the U.S., performed with professional musicians in various concert venues, and played in bands ranging from pop/rock and progressive country to bluegrass. She currently teaches guitar, banjo, dobro, mandolin and ukulele to people ranging in age from 10 to 80+.

Jean Lawrence is a working artist. Her paintings are semi-abstract wetlands and abstract works in watercolor and oil.  She has a Bachelor's Degree in art and art history from Northern Illinois University, and studied painting at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago for seven years.  She also has a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology, with an emphasis on community mental health.  

Jean owned and operated The Pebble House, a bed and breakfast inn in Lakeside Michigan, for seventeen years.  Her interest in the Arts and Crafts Movement began with the purchase of the property.  She and her husband Ed furnished the inn in the Arts and Crafts style, which attracted a great deal of attention from the press as well as guests who came specifically to be surrounded by period furniture and artifacts.  

During her years as an innkeeper, Jean often spoke, taught classes, and gave seminars on the Arts and Crafts Movement.  She and Ed attended yearly conferences on the topic at The Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina, a masterpiece of the movement.  Ed owned an antique shop during those years, specializing in Arts and Crafts.  Their home in Fairhope is furnished in the style, which is sometimes referred to as "The Art that is Life".  

Reilly Maginn is a retired surgeon with a specialty in organ transplantation.  Past president of the Baldwin Writers Group and a member of the Alabama Writers Conclave and The Tennessee Mountain Writers Group, he has written more than forty award-winning short stories and recently published a medical action thriller.

Clint Martin is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Investments managing over $25 million in assets for individual investors.

Charles R. McInnis has taught physics, mathematics and computer science for 27 years, including the College for Kids at Chattahoochee Valley Community College.  He holds a BA in Math and Physics and an MS in Physics from Auburn. Currently a volunteer instructor for Fairhope Library, he enjoys technology, photography and travel.

Bob Mcleod is active in Toastmasters International and is Past Toastmasters International Area Governor. He is also a member of the American Institute of Parliamentarians. A retired Alabama Power Company district manager, he holds a Doctorate in Counselor Education from Auburn.

Fran Morley, a writer and editor of books, magazines and newspapers, currently does public relations writing for the City of Fairhope and writes on assignment for regional and national publications.  She is an active member of the Association of Personal Historians and has taught several area workshops in personal history writing.

Tom Morley is a classically-trained violinist with a degree in music education, but he has earned a living with his violin in almost every conceivable musical direction. He has played professionally on stage and in the recording studio in Celtic, Cajun, country, folk, classical, swing and jazz styles. As an educator, Tom has taught in public schools and universities, gives private and group lessons, fiddle workshops, Irish Traditional Music slow sessions, ‘informances’ and lectures on the history of Irish and American fiddling.

Tom has shared the stage with such performers as Pete Fountain, Ray Price, Emmylou Harris, and Riders in the Sky. In orchestral performances, he has worked with a wide variety of acts, including Rod Stewart, Natalie Cole, Crystal Gayle, The Moody Blues, Harry Connick, Jr., Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, and Luciano Pavarotti. As a member of the Mobile Symphony, he has also been a featured soloist on numerous occasions, performing a wide variety of works from ‘Orkney Wedding (With Sunrise),’ to ‘Ashokan Farewell’ and ‘Orange Blossom Special.’

Tom’s band Mithril is one of the premiere Celtic/World music groups on the Gulf Coast and has performed on concert series and with symphony orchestras in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Michigan, Indiana, Oklahoma, Texas, California, Illinois, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. With five CDs in release, Mithril been featured on a number of syndicated radio programs, including Celtic Connections and Prairie Ceilidh, heard across the US and Canada, as well as on AOL World Radio and XM Satellite Radio.

Jim Morris holds a Ph.D. degree in history, and taught history at the college level for 40 years.  He is the author or editor of numerous books on historical topics, and co-authored a dictionary of utopianism.

Dean Mosher has held several offices with the Single Tax Colony and is a reliable and deep resource on all things Fairhope. His 8’x12’ painting “Founders of Fairhope” was unveiled at the Fairhope History Museum in 2010. With artwork in museums, National Park Visitor Centers, and prominent historical sites, Dean has succeeded in creating the most accurate and comprehensive historical depiction possible. He has worked closely with the world's finest scholars, historians, and experts, including the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, and several major universities.

Kim Mumbower has been a fiber artist for more than 30 years, focusing on tapestry, Navajo weaving and Navajo textile restoration, and exploring other techniques.  She discovered Temari about 12 years ago.

FRED NATION is a field botanist, free-lance writer and photographer.  For the past 20 years he has photographed and documented the native flora of Baldwin County.  Author of  Where the Wild Illicium Grows, Fred is popular as a well-informed guide and lecturer.

Larry Norris recently retired from federal government service and is now able to spend more time building his repertoire and skills as a musician. He’s been playing the ukulele for several years and plays with two local groups. He looks forward to sharing with others the joy of being able to play an instrument.

Sylvia Norton is a former teacher who has always loved cooking.  Both her sons are chefs  who have given her inspiration for her own creations.  Sylvia moved here from St. Louis twelve years ago and feels very much at home in Baldwin County.  Now that she is self-employed she has more time for hobbies, including reading and tending her garden. Her pot luck dishes get rave reviews at church and at the Grandmothers’ Group to which she belongs.   

Teri Odell is a long time arts and crafts aficionado who put her yard full of long-leaf pine trees to work in a new creative and environmentally friendly outlet, making baskets.  She has previously taught for the Bay Rivers Art Guild and the Stone County, Miss. Office of Economic Development.

Catherine Hall Pate is a certified professional with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program and a certified interior designer.  Her recent projects include residential and commercial work with an emphasis on custom details, furniture design, and collaborations with local craftspeople.  She serves on the board of the Alabama Coastal Foundation to further the causes of sustainable living and environmental protection.

Jo Patton is a full time working artist. Her paintings are included in numerous public and private collections and have been accepted in both national and regional juried shows. She is best known for her watercolor and acrylic impressions of the Mobile Bay area. Her paintings range from portrait work to non-objective with the majority somewhere in between. Purity of color and strong composition define and make Jo’s work exciting. She is a signature member of the Southern Watercolor Society and the Alabama Watercolor Society. In the last few years she was included in the National Southern Watercolor Juried Exhibition in Louisiana, “Wharfs and Words”, a two-person show in the Whiting Gallery, Eastern Shore Art Center, Best of Show in the Bay Rivers Regional Juried Show, the Mobile Art Association Juried Show and most recently a show at the Lyons Share Gallery.

P.T. Paul holds a B.A. in English and a Masters Degree in Creative Writing.  She is president of the Pensters Writing Group, a member of Sigma Tau Delta, and Eastern Shore coordinator of the Poetry Out Loud Program for high school students.  Her thesis “Southerner” was published by Negative Capability Press in 2010 as “To Live & Write in Dixie.”  Her poetry and prose have won numerous awards and been featured in publications including the Birmingham Arts Journal and the Oxford American Magazine.

Sandy Pejka has taught crochet classes for many years and is also expert in counted cross stitch, Swedish weaving, tatting and knitting. 

Billie Reinhart has certifications with the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America and the American Council on Exercise.  Billie has been dedicated to her analysis of the yoga perspective of the body and mind since she began teaching in 2005.  She would like to share the path she has found to increase mobility, endurance, and awareness of the body, mind, and breath with the arts of movement and concentration.

Anita Rosenbaum is cofounder of Analece Design, with her daughter Alece Nordstrom. Their jewelry has been shown in numerous juried art shows throughout the country. They have studied with the Revere Academy in San Francisco, and in many private classes and workshops around the country in an effort to perfect their bench skills. Anita holds Precious Metal Clay Artist certifications with the PMC Guild and has taught and held workshops on Precious Metal Clay at the Valley Art Center in Chagrin Falls, Ohio and in a variety of other educational venues. She is a member of the National Chapter PMC Guild, Florida Society of Goldsmiths, SNAG and Eastern Shore Art Center.

Betty Savage is a floral designer and former flower show judge who served as the Awards Chairman for the Mississippi state competitions.

Stephen Savage is a photographer, artist, educator and champion for photography in South Alabama. He has a lengthy exhibition list of his personal work and shows produced by him or in collaboration.  Stephen teaches photography at Spring Hill College and offers classes and workshops. He was awarded the coveted Visual Arts Fellowship in Photography from the Alabama State Council on the Arts in 2001.

A professional and editorial photographer, Savage was voted Best of the Bay by readers of Mobile Bay Monthly.  His work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Oxford American, AARP, Garden and Gun, Cooking with Paula Deen and many other fine publications.

Gene Sellier is a founder of a computer company which developed hardware and software solutions for small business systems. After selling his computer business, Gene managed the largest independent camera store in St. Louis for almost two years before retiring. He is a photography enthusiast and ESILL Board member.

Ruth Skaggs is a professionally-trained musician who teaches piano in her Daphne studio.  She was a music psychotherapist for 21 years in Atlanta, GA before closing her practice and moving to the Eastern Shore.  Ruth is the author of two books:  Finishing Strong: Treating Chemical Addictions with Music and Imagery  and Music: Keynote of the Human Spirit.

Mary Jane Skinner, Secretary of the ESILL Board, is a retired high school history and English teacher with a M.A. from the University of Alabama. 

Elissa Small has been drumming in the African tradition for five years, both in drum circles and at fire festivals. She continues to study Guinean drumming with Irene (August Eve) Baird in Western Massachusetts.  She loves bringing newcomers to the drum, and learning from everyone with whom she drums.

Marylee Smith, a member of the ESILL Board, is a retired teacher of General and Integrated Science, Biology, and Human Environmental Sciences with a M.S. degree from the University of Alabama.  She has been a Master Gardener since1999 and an experimental gardener for 25 years.  Marylee's background for the course, “Our Alabama Constitution”, arises from her interest in Alabama history, especially Alabama's Constitutions, and her active role in reform efforts. Her great-great-grandfather was a delegate to the 1819 Constitutional Convention that made Alabama a state.  Marylee was the District 94 delegate to the recent Mock Constitutional Convention.  She has been active in the grass roots organization, Alabama Citizens for Constitutional Reform, ACCR, since its beginning in 2000.

Betty Somer is a China Painter Teacher certified by the International Porcelain Artists and Teachers Association. She attended the World Organization of China Painter's Art Institute and The Professional Porcelain Artists Association's Art Institute, and has taught china painting for over 20 years.  Her paintings were published in two national magazines and have been displayed in the World Organization of China Painters Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She is past president of the Florida World Organization of China Painters.

Judy Thompson is a member of the Baldwin County Master Gardeners and grows native plants in her garden.

Jon Widener is a retired orthopedic surgeon who undertakes medical mission activity from time to time, and hopes for a renaissance in folk music.  “Doctor Jon” has played in several folk groups, entertains with the five-string banjo in local gigs, and recently cut his fourth CD, in which he plays guitar, banjo and bass.  

Vincentine Williams (shown with Scott Speck, Mobile Symphony director) is an accomplished piano judge and teacher presently instructing 40 students, many of them gifted.  The recipient of the Alabama 2008 Music Teacher of the Year Award, she studied in France and holds music degrees from Tulane and the University of Southern Miss.