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.

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.  

Annmarie Arenz is a native of Germany, born and raised in the southwest part of Germany where she lived there until moving in 2008 to Spanish Fort. Her second and third languages are English and French. She is currently a kindergarten teacher and quality manager. She worked 11 years in a German kindergarten and was  for 10 years a quality manager in an institution for early childhood development and handicaps.

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 was elected president of the Baldwin County Bar Association for 2011. He has been a lawyer or judge in South Alabama for 36 years. 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.

Sherril Bover was caregiver and advocate for her mother, Mary, who battled the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease for over 12 years. Mary died in January 2006.  Sherril is a trained support group facilitator and led a group for adult-children dementia caregivers for six years. She was Education Coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Association California Central Coast, where she taught a variety of classes and workshops for family caregivers.  She has delivered her inspirational yet practical message to caregivers as keynote speaker at a number of conferences.

Sherril is author of Compassionate Strategies, a guidebook for caregivers and is co-author and co-presenter of The Alzheimer’s Dialogues^© with Nancy Graham.  The Dialogues are an innovative series of educational sessions in the format of conversations between friends about dementia caregiving.  Sherril and Nancy also wrote and presented Making the Most of a Visit to a Loved One with Dementia^© , which is used by a number of Alzheimer’s care facilities around the country to help families become more comfortable with visiting their loved ones. As a caregiver coach, Sherril facilitates private meetings to help families plan for the best, most compassionate care for their loved ones with dementia.

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.

Belinda Butler is a former English teacher, features and news reporter, freelance publicist, technical writer/trainer, and computer help desk manager.  She teaches Fiberarts and Public Art and Creative Writing classes in the Orange Beach Art Center’s After School Arts Program.  Her hand-woven work has been exhibited in regional and international juried competitions.  Belinda has been weaving for over 30 years, and taught herself spindle spinning in 1996.  In 1999 when injury threatened to stop her weaving she began exploring dying. Producing the illusion of depth on cloth has become a passion. Her shibori and dye-painted scarves, fabrics, and yarns are explorations of color and spirit resonating with echoes of the natural forms that inspire them.

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 has been studying yoga since 2000 and is Yoga Alliance certified. The past nine years she has shared her unique approach to yoga with the people on the Eastern Shore including at the Grand Hotel, Fairhope's University of South Alabama, Eastern Shore School for Lifelong Learning and the Eastern Shore Art Center.

Connie Cazort is a professional storyteller and teacher of young children. She tells stories at Page and Palette Bookstore, the Fairhope Library, the Eastern Shore Art Center, and children’s parties. She has been a Teacher Trainer, an Enrichment Specialist in Creative Dramatics, an Education Consultant and conference presenter of “Playing with Language, the Art of Storytelling”. 

Loran Chavez says she grew up with a different point of view of the world around her. With a father in the Air Force, she travelled extensively. This gave her the chance to see and do things most children only dream about. This zest for life has followed her into her adult years and has been a major influence on her artwork. Loran is a self-educated artist who works constantly to be better at her craft. She works with a limited palette of non-fugitive colors that allows her work to have a crisp quality. Her style tends toward photo-realism, Loran says, as the world around her inspires her to create. Raindrops on flowers, the shine on animal fur or scales, reflections on water, creases in a human face, marine life of all kinds –all find their way into her studio.  She is now in her second series of 100 Paintings – 100 Days and she maintains a blog about the paintings as well – see www.loranchavez.blogspot.com.  Loran teaches for the Mobile Museum of Art in their Art Blast program for children in the summer, and she has also taught for Bay Rivers Art Guild, Eastern Shore Art Center, Space 301 and University of South Alabama Continuing Education. She has also run workshops in watercolor and oils/acrylics for several groups from Dauphin Island to Ocean Springs, MS. Her work has been in several galleries on the coast, and she is currently represented by Cathedral Square Gallery and Fairhope Connections in Fairhope and Orange Beach.

Chuck Cornwall is a retired USAF Colonel whose last duty assignment was as the Dean of Students at the United States Air War College at Maxwell Air Force Base, AL.  He has taught Civil War History there, at the Joint Officer Training School at the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA, and at Huntingdon College in Montgomery.

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.”

Jerry Darring is a native Mobilian who retired after teaching for 19 years at McGill-Toolen High School. He currently serves as an adjunct theology instructor at Spring Hill College, and is on the boards of the Jewish-Christian Dialogue and the Christus Theological Institute. He studied the Holocaust at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem in the summer of 2000. Active in the Alabama Gulf Coast Center for Holocaust and Human Rights Education, Jerry is co-founder and curator of the Alabama Gulf Coast Holocaust Library located in Mobile’s Ahavas Chesed Synagogue. Jerry is author of the book, Christians, Jews and the Holocaust, one of his 19 publications.

Carolyn Dohn practices law with Stone, Granade and Crosby, PC, in the firm’s Daphne and Foley offices. A native of Cleveland, OH, she received her BA in history from Cleveland State University, then earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law. She also earned a Master of Law in taxation from the University of Alabama. She is licensed to and has practiced law in AL, FL and MS. Carolyn is a member of the American Bar Association (Taxation and Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Sections), the Alabama Bar Association (Taxation Probate and Trust Law Sections), the Florida Bar Association (Taxation Section) and the Gulf Coast Planning Council.  Her areas of practice include trusts, wills, business law, estate planning, real property, probate, and commercial law.

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. 

Jack Edwards served twenty years in the U.S. House of Representatives before voluntarily retiring in 1985 to return to the practice of law. He is a member of the law firm of Hand Arendall, LLC, in Mobile.

Jack had a unique and distinguished career in public life. He served under five Presidents from Lyndon Johnson through Ronald Reagan’s first term, and as a Republican leader in the House he met with Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan on a weekly basis.  He was on the Appropriations Committee where he served for many years on the Transportation Subcommittee.  He was best known, however, as an expert on National Defense, having been the senior Republican for ten years on the Defense Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.  He also served on the House Banking Committee.

In the years since returning to Mobile, Jack has continued his public service as Chairman of the Board of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce as well as serving on the boards of the Mobile Opera, Mobile Economic Development Council and many other civic boards and committees. He also served on the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System and was President Pro Tem of the Board when he retired.
In recent years Jack has devoted himself to constitutional reform, education, the environment, and economic development in the Mobile area. 

Nance Fleming has been involved in the arts all her life. She grew up in a family of artists and educators. One of Nance’s beliefs is that art is for everyone and that you can find excellent works of art in all price ranges. Nance has worked and studied art in Europe. She is an artist; her work can be found in numerous private collections, corporate collections. Her work was selected for the Federal Reserve’s Museum Permanent Collection in New Orleans. She has been the owner of Patina Art Gallery in Fairhope for the last eight years. She has curated several exhibits including at the Charlottesville Cultural Center, The National Arts Club, in New York City, and at the Eastern Shore Art Center. Nance has also judged several art shows. As an art consultant, she works with designers and clients on the art they choose as well as with corporate clients on choosing the art that is right for their establishments and their corporate image. She is also the featured art writer for a regional magazine, Coastal Lifestyle.

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.

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.

W. Stuart Harris was born and attended the public schools in Birmingham, AL. He earned the B.S., M.A., and doctorate at the University of Alabama, in Tuscaloosa, with a major in History and a minor in English.  Desiring to be a historical researcher in Southern History, he taught at the University of Alabama, Marion Military Institute, and Judson College.  The author of  historical books and folklore, Dr. Harris soon became a gifted speaker, storyteller, and folk musician.  Although retired, he continues to do historical research and writing, and speaks on a number of subjects. He and his wife, Barbara, live in Lilllian, and maintain "Tranquilla," an ante-bellum home in the Black Belt.

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.

Chris Hill  is a long-time amateur radio operator who spent six years in the US Army from 1964 to 1970, for the most part teaching HAWK Continuous Wave Radar Repair.  He left the military life and took a business degree from Cleveland State University.  After a 30 year career with LTV Steel as a supervisor in the maintenance department Chris retired with a disability in 2000 and moved to Fairhope in 2002. He is a member of the South Baldwin Amateur Radio Club. His call sign is KG8JF.  Chris holds the Amateur Extra class radio license, the highest-level Ham license.

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.

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.

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 in Fairhope since February 2007. She is a former college professor/instructor both in Ukraine and here in the U.S. Having earned a degree in Foreign Language Teaching at the University of Linguistics in Kiev, Ukraine, Angelica has used her multilingual abilities as an interpreter/translator, voice talent, a teacher of English at both high school and college levels, and an instructor in Russian/Ukrainian Language, Culture and History. She is a member of the American Translators Association. In addition, she has been studying essential oils and herbs and their therapeutic and healing properties all her life.  She is a Senior Star Young Living Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils distributor.

Jessica Jones received her M.A. in English with a Creative Writing specialization from the University of South Alabama in 2009.  She has published poems in journals including the Birmingham Arts Journal and Oracle, University of South Alabama's fine arts and literary magazine. During her graduate studies, Jones served as poetry editor and event coordinator for Oracle and won the Shelley Memorial Scholarship for Poetry. She has published her first book, I Am By Nature a Conflagration, one of poetry and photography.  She writes for Gulf Coast Newspapers and Sense magazine, and resides in Stockton with her miniature Dachshund, Layla.

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+.

Ruth Kelley has a BA in Fashion Design from Washington University in St. Louis.  She has taught various levels of sewing instruction for more than 40 years.  As host of a popular cable television show for 7 years Ruth went on to become a member of the design team for the May Department Store Company and travelled extensively overseas to oversee the manufacturing of private label merchandise for more than 200 stores.  Her expertise in sizing specifications and quality control enabled a major department store to ensure sizing and quality were consistent.  She was responsible for all clothing departments throughout the chain including men, women, plus size, children and infants.  Ruth retired to the Eastern Shore in 1991 and continues to pursue her love of sewing.

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".  

Terri Loftin  is originally from Bay Minette, and her alma mater is Auburn University. Married to Rusty Loftin, she’s currently a stay-at-home mom with two boys age 3 and 7, and says she has put her horticulture degree on idle. Terri’s hobbies are gardening (of course), family, church, jogging, and Shorinji Kempo, which is a non-aggressive Japanese martial art for lifelong learning of self defense. She started Shorinji Kempo in 2000 when Rusty became the Alabama Branch Master and could use extra support.

Fred Marchman, a local artist with a studio in Fairhope, regards himself as a Southern Modernist. He creates acrylic and pastel paintings, as well as wood, stone and bronze sculptures in southern themes.  He has exhibited in museums and art spaces from Alabama to Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, San Francisco, and Maryland. His work appears in museums throughout the country. A graduate of Tulane and University  of Alabama Art Schools with a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts, Fred has taught at Alabama School of Math & Science, Universidad Central in Quito, Ecuador, University of Alabama-Mobile, Springhill College, and Faulkner State Community College.  He is also a published poet.  His name and easily recognizable style are well known from exhibits in Mobile and Baldwin County.  His long standing themes are nature study, abstract, still life and TVs (ask him about that!).

Gail McCain received her B.A. degree in art history, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Richmond and her M.A. degree in art history from Virginia Commonwealth University.  She has taught art history and art appreciation on the university and community college level.  She was a volunteer docent at the Mobile Museum of Art from 2005-2010, and is now employed by the Museum. Gail loves to travel and visit art museums.  In addition to her keen interest in the visual arts, she is a floral arranger.  Previous owner of Garden Flowers, a floral design business that specialized in wedding and party flowers, her business slogan was “Artfully Arranged.”  Gail is a life-long learner too!

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.

Ann McLaurin received a PhD from the University of Oklahoma and was a Professor of History at LSU in Shreveport and Chair of the Department of History and Political Science, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, and Director of the Civic Leadership Center.  She has authored/edited/coauthored five books on various historical topics. After retirement she became an accomplished birder, and birded virtually every state in the Union including Hawaii and Alaska.  Her field trips included seminars and field sessions with the top ornithologists in the country. For the past several years Ann has been one of the field trip leaders for the Mobile  Bay Audubon Society and the Eastern Shore Birders.

Paul Moreno is a retired engineer who worked for over 30 years in the pulp and paper industry.  He moved to Fairhope in 2007 and lives with his wife Djuana in a concrete house whose construction he designed and personally supervised.  Paul’s interest is in the history of technology, the influence of technology on the economy and economic cycles.  He has contributed to several Wikipedia articles on economics and technology.

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, A native of Michigan, earned a Ph.D. in History from the University of Cincinnati.  He presently holds the rank of Emeritus Professor of History at Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia, where he taught from 1971-2002.  Specializing in military and naval history, he taught courses on the Civil War, World War II, Vietnam and naval history.  His publications include America's Armed Forces:  A History; History of the U.S. Army; History of the U.S. Navy; and Historical Dictionary of the U.S. Navy, each in multiple editions. In addition to presenting courses in military history at ESILL, he has offered Current National Issues and Utopianism in America. 

Dean Mosher is the artist for epic historic paintings located in museums, National Park Service visitor centers, and public buildings around the country, including the United States Naval Academy, the United States Coast Guard Academy, the University of Virginia’s John Paul Jones Arena; NPS Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial; NPS Carillon Historical Park; Kettering Education Center in Dayton, Ohio; SUNY Gallery in Plattsburgh, New York; Mobile Museum of Art; Fairhope Museum of History; and Fort Meigs Visitors Center in Perrysburg, Ohio. His work has appeared in many books, including The U.S. Air Force: A Complete History; Thomas Macdonough: Master of Command in the Early U.S. Navy; Oliver Hazard Perry: Honor, Courage, and Patriotism in the Early U.S. Navy; The Sixty Years’ War for the Great Lakes, 1754–1814; and West Wind, Flood Tide: The Battle of Mobile Bay. His artwork has also been seen in documentaries produced for the National Park Service and public television. Dean has served on numerous organization boards, including five years as Historian General of the Naval Order of the United States. He has been honored with many awards, including the Commander General’s medal for saving the archives of the NOUS. He is often sought out for lectures and presentations around the country and was the first Naval Heritage Lecture presenter for the Surface Navy Association at its Annual National Symposium at the Crystal City Hyatt in Alexandria, Virginia, in 2004. Dean lives and works in his hand-built castle home and studio in Fairhope, which has been featured on HGTV and the Ananda Lewis Show. His proudest achievements are winning the hand of his wife of thirty-three years, Pagan, and the raising of their two great children, Megrez Ravel and Cleveland Turner.

Kim Mumbower has been a fiber artist for 40+ years, exploring dyeing, spinning, weaving, basketry, knitting, crochet, and embroidery.  Tapestry weaving, Navajo textile restoration, pine needle basketry and knitting are particular favorites, along with temari.  Kim enjoys using traditional textile techniques with non-traditional materials, so twined rag rugs are a favorite craft.  She discovered twined rag rugs 20 years ago while visiting friends on a ranch in New Mexico, but didn’t learn the techniques and make her first twined rag rug until after moving to this area 14 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.

Debbie Norris is a retired public school teacher and music has always been a part of her life. Playing the autoharp was useful many years ago in singing with students in the classroom, but a few years ago she picked one up again and began to take it seriously. Debbie has studied Autoharp at two sessions of the Alabama Folk School and at various music festival workshops. She and her husband Larry play with two local music groups and also enjoy playing music together for community programs. Debbie says, “Sharing this interesting instrument with others is one of my favorite ways to make music.”

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.

Pat Norton attended the Southern Institute of Design.  While only a student she was hired by the president of the American Society of Interior Designers, Ann Bakeran, an unprecedented event and opportunity.  After studying with another designer, Pat opened Pat Norton Interiors in Birmingham, and presently owns Pat Norton Interiors and Architectural Consignment in Fairhope.  

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.

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.

Liz Philbrick has always enjoyed being in the forest and among trees.  When she moved to south Alabama the very long needles of the native Alabama pine impressed and intrigued her and they were an endless resource.  Liz found a book at a garage sale about pine needle baskets.  She bought that book, made her first basket in 2001 and has never gotten bored with the art form.         She gathers the Long Leaf Pine needles from lawns and parks all over Baldwin County.  Liz uses  all sorts of centers: walnut slices, antique buttons, pieces of wood, pottery, almost anything that she can coil the needles around.  She dye some of her needles but most of her baskets contain natural needles.   Her baskets are all one of a kind.  Once She starts coiling, she says,”I never know where the basket will take me.  That is part of the fun.  I consider my little baskets to be gifts from the earth and the beautiful state that is Alabama.”

Barbara Ramsland is a retired school counselor, who as a wife, mother and then a WORKING mother learned the knack of organizing a household. The course, Taking Control of Your House or “Tips for Organizing and Managing Your Home so You Actually Have Time for YOU!” is a result of the series of articles she wrote for a Mothers’ Club monthly newsletter.

Billie Reinhart, at the age of 17, was drawn to the spiritual, non-competitive, and pain relieving aspects of yoga.  A Hatha certified instructor, Billie has been studying Anusara since 2006, the same year she began teaching yoga. She is certified with Yoga Alliance, ACE and AFAA. Her special interest in therapeutics and anatomy led her to study Thai Yoga Bodywork in 2010. Her style is also influenced by her personal Anusara, Acro-yoga, and partner yoga practice.  When she's not in class, she's sewing, camping, getting ready for her next concert or music festival, or in a lounging lawn chair with her feet in the creek. 

Betty Savage is a floral designer and former flower show judge who served as the Awards Chairman for the Mississippi state competitions. Judy Thompson co-teaches with Betty Savage and is a member of the Baldwin County Master Gardeners and grows native plants in her garden.

Stephen Savage (pictured with Paula Dean) 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.

Jane Sellier is a teaching artist who believes in the freedom and fun art can provide.  Her philosophy is to “have fun, be experimental and share it with others.”  Painting in soft pastels, watercolors, oils and acrylics, she enjoys switching mediums because each one stays new, fresh and exciting.  She continues to take classes and workshops and says, “If I’m not teaching, I’m taking a course.  Art is a never-ending learning process and so much can be learned from other artists.” Jane has won awards that include ribbons, cash prizes and best of show.  Her paintings are in private and corporate collections both in the United States and in Canada.  Her work has been published in The Artist’s Magazine and Artist’s Sketchbook Magazine.  Jane’s paintings can be seen at Eastern Shore Art Center.

Rabbi Steven Silberman first attended college in Tucson, then  decided he wanted to explore life in a larger Jewish community and transferred to UCLA.  Upon graduating with a degree in Psychology he began his studies at the University of Judaism.  He then moved to Jerusalem and studied for two years at the Conservative affiliate, Neve Schechter. He and his wife Manette moved to New Jersey while he completed his studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary  in New York City. Accepting a pulpit , Steven moved  to Mobile, AL and joined Cong. Ahavas  Chesed.  He and his wife have three children. Being the rabbi of a small synagogue has its advantages and challenges.   Opportunities for teaching, one-on-one counseling and community work abound.  Rabbi Steven Silberman is frequently called upon to represent Jewish life and the Jewish community to the community at large.  Teaching Elderhostel classes, writing a guest column in the Religion section of the newspaper and working to foster improved relations among Jews, Christians and Muslims through a variety of dialogue groups are also meaningful pursuits.  He takes seriously his role of fostering strong personal ties with other clergy throughout the Mobile community for the purpose of promoting mutual understanding. He is a frequent visitor to two public schools wherein he has initiated reading in public classrooms.  One of the most important aspects of his rabbinate has been supporting the establishment of Camp Ramah Darom. He has served on its staff during regular and family sessions.  From time to time, Rabbi Steve serves as a volunteer police chaplain. He also served 11 years in a variety of capacities for a local cub scout troop. In his spare time, he prefers to be with his wife and children as much as possible.

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. 

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.

Dan Therrell, who is known as “The Social Media Chef” for his entertaining style of providing technical training, provides individual tutoring and group training for “anything Internet”. His clients and students most often request presentations on using popular social media and website tools like FaceBook, Linkedin, Google, and WordPress blogs. While injecting his students with enthusiasm for social media and other technical topics, Dan also shares his love for cooking gumbo as “lagniappe”, a French term for providing a “little extra”.  It seems to work. His clients and students keep asking for “more secrets” about both technology tools and gumbo! Since retiring from corporate life on 2004, Dan has worked as a “solo-preneur” building custom websites and providing hosting and other internet services for a select group of business and non-profit clients. He is the owner of Retro Marketing, Zfish.com and Blue Mullet Web Services.  Dan was raised on the Gulf Coast and is a graduate of Auburn University, with a B.S.in Electrical Engineering. He worked for Florida Power & Light, Southern Company and Alabama Power for 32 years in both engineering and marketing assignments.

Vincentine Williams is an accomplished pianist and the teacher of approximately 35 piano students.  She belongs to six professional organizations and chairs three local music events for students.  Much in demand as an adjudicator, she has studied in France and holds music degrees from Tulane University and the University of Southern Mississippi.  In 2008 she was the recipient of the Alabama Music Teacher of the Year Award.  

Bob Zeanah is a freelance writer working mainly on writing grants for small non-profit agencies.  He had a 34-year career in public education, the last three of which were spent grant writing for a large school system.  His writing experience also includes articles written for state organizations and in-house publications.  Bob has written throughout his life and reports that somewhere along the way he started calling writing a hobby.  Upon his retirement from education, he turned his writing hobby into service for small non-profit agencies.