John Colletta
John Philip Colletta
is one of America's
most popular genealogical lecturers. Entertaining, knowledgeable and
experienced, he is based in Washington,
DC. For 20 years he conducted workshops
for the National Archives and taught courses for the Smithsonian Institution
and local universities. Today he lectures nationally and is a faculty
member of the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research at Samford
University and the Salt
Lake Institute of Genealogy. He has also been an instructor and course
coordinator for the National Institute on Genealogical Research, the
Genealogical Institute of Texas, and the Genealogical Institute of
Mid-America. His publications include two manuals -- They Came in Ships: A Guide to Finding Your Immigrant Ancestor's
Arrival Record and Finding Italian
Roots: The Complete Guide for Americans -- and numerous how-to articles . His
latest book -- Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and Its
Aftermath -- is a history of the German-speaking merchants of the
Mississippi Delta during Reconstruction. It is written around the
mysterious destruction of his great great
grandfather's country store, and its five unfortunate inhabitants. Dr. Colletta has appeared on local and national radio and
television, is featured in Episode Four of "Ancestors," the ten-part
KBYU-TV series, as well as its sequel aired in 2000. His Ph.D. in
Medieval French Literature is from The Catholic University of America.
Lisa Alzo
Lisa
Alzo is a genealogist and writer currently residing
in New York.
She grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition from West
Virginia Wesleyan College and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Nonfiction
Writing from the University
of Pittsburgh. She is the
author of five books and numerous magazine articles. She has also been an avid
genealogist for over 16 years. She uses her expertise to teach online genealogy
courses and is a frequently invited speaker for national conferences,
genealogical and historical societies.
http://theaccidentalgenealogist.blogspot.com/
Buford Suffridge
Buford J. Suffridge is a
native of Arkansas, a graduate of the University of Arkansas, the University of
Tennessee College of Dentistry and received a Master's Degree in Dentistry with specialty in
orthodontics from St. Louis University Medical Center. He is a veteran of the
U.S. Navy and has practiced orthodontics in North Little Rock, Arkansas for over
33 years.
With a background in
science he developed an early interest in DNA and in recent years became
fascinated with the use of DNA in genealogy research. He currently serves as
president of the Perry
County Historical and Genealogical Society, was co-author of Perry County,
Arkansas: Its Land & People and writes a weekly column for the Perry
County Edition of the Petit Jean Country Headlight entitled "Glimpses of
the Past." He was a speaker at the 2007 National Genealogical Society Conference
in Richmond, Virginia, has spoken at the Arkansas
Genealogical Society Annual Fall Seminar, the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies
of the Little Rock Public Library and is a popular speaker for numerous local
genealogical societies.
Maxine
Jackson
She started working for a law
firm in 1956 which included title abstracting of land records. This evolved
into research not only for surface titles but coal, oil and gas, and mineral
rights. The Genealogy research came when she helped travelers
complete family information (which they thought could be done in a day).
Sheila
Brown
Sheila Brown was born and
raised in Texas. The earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary
Education from Texas
Tech University
and a Master’s Degree in Library Science from Clarion University of
Pennsylvania. Her interest in genealogy
was sparked by a portrait and some old letters that her father inherited from
his grandfather. Since the early 1990’s
Ms. Brown and her father have been able to identify the couple in the portrait
and trace the family tree back to the 1790’s in Virginia.
Ms. Brown was instrumental in establishing the Cranberry Genealogy Club
which meets monthly in Cranberry Township, Butler
County, PA. She is the Butler County Federated Library
System Administrator and works to coordinate library services throughout Butler County.
Al Mechling
Al Mechling, owner and
General Manager of Mechling Bookbindery, Chicora, PA,
started his business with his wife, Marla, in 1995 in their garage. Since
then, the company has grown into a 10,000 square foot manufacturing
facility. Mechling Bookbindery offers a unique
range of printing, publishing, bookbinding and restoration services.
Kari
McConnell
Kari McConnell is Manager of
the Graphics Department at Mechling Bookbindery,
where she designs book covers as well as many other printed materials, and does
the layout and designing of books. She has a Bachelor of Fine
Arts Degree in Photography from the School
of Visual Arts in New
York City, and an Associate Degree in Applied Science and
Arts/Graphic Design from Butler
County Community
College.
Brad Pflugh
Brad Pflugh
teaches Social Studies at Knoch
High School and is an adjunct faculty
at Butler County Community College.
He grew up in Butler and earned a Bachelors and
a Masters Degree from Slippery
Rock University.
Brad has published “Butler County in the Civil War”, available from Mechling Bookbindery, detailing the action of each unit
formed in Butler County. Brad earned a “Red Apple” award
in 2005 for being one of the nine outstanding teachers in Butler County.
He is currently Department Chair
Perry K. Blatz
Perry K. Blatz (Princeton University),
Associate Professor of History and Director, Public History: Archival, Museum,
and Editing Studies. Dr. Blatz is a specialist in the history of the United
States from 1815 to 1930. His book, Democratic Miners: Work and Labor
Relations in the Anthracite Coal Industry, 1875-1925, was published by State
University of New York Press. He was also associate editor and a contributor to
Keystone of Democracy: A History of Pennsylvania Workers (Harrisburg:
Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, 1999). His most recent
publication is Eckley Miners' Village (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole
Books, 2003), in the Pennsylvania Trail of History guide series.
John Rodgers
John
Rodgers worked as a professional photographer and has won awards for many
images. He has also spent time working in adult education, teaching basic and
advanced photography, later teaching at Butler County
Community College. At the
college he taught basic and advanced photography as well as darkroom
techniques. Now retired, he has participated in numerous conferences on Adobe
Photoshop and conducted seminars on the retouching and restoration of precious
memories.