About Me

I have been an educator and athletic coach for the past 32 years. I have lived in Geneseo, Illinois since 1990 and is currently teaching at Allen Junior High School in LaMoille, Illinois. I earned my B.A. in History from Illinois State University in 1988 and have been interested in local history ever since.

 

For the past five years I have written local history articles for the Geneseo Republic and has presented on those topics throughout Henry County. In November of 2016, I published my first book Leafing Through History: Stories from Geneseo, Illinois. The second book project I started in the winter of 2015-2016. The result of that research is Camp Annawan, which introduces the reader to the history of the Civilian Conservation Camp that was constructed in Annawan, Illinois. 

 

I continued to research and write about the history surrounding Geneseo. By 2017, I published my third book, Pursuit of Prosperity, which is a photographic history of the businesses and building of downtown Geneseo. Next, I published volume two of Leafing Through History in August of 2019. 

 

I also have presented on the topics I write about throughout Northern Illinois. Along with my presentations, I have enjoyed researching the history of local farms including the Dean Olson Farm and the Sebien Family Farm.

 

I married to Beth and together we have two children, Andrea, a teacher in Des Moines, Iowa, and Paul who is currently in the U.S. Navy.  Beth and I still reside in Geneseo, Illinois where, like the men of Camp Annawan, I am still digging into my next project.