Presenters - 2025
Speakers are subject to change
William Cook
Originally from Fulton County, William Cook served in the US Army from 1987-1990 in what was then West Germany. He then graduated with a BA in History, minoring in Art History and French. He then received his MA in History from Western Illinois University; while in graduate school, he was also an intern at the Illinois Regional Archives Depository (IRAD). Since 2000, he has been at Western's the Archives & Special Collections. Currently, he is also the IRAD On-Campus Supervisor.
Paul Debarth
Paul DeBarthe has been an active part of Nauvoo archeology since 1971. Projects include: the Joseph Smith Summer Kitchen, The Times and Seasons, and Joseph Smith Mansion House and Latrine. Paul has participated in archeological work across the Midwestern United States, Mexico and Polynesia. and currently is serving as site director at the Joseph Smith III home in Lamoni, Iowa where visitors and diggers are welcome.
Duane Taylor
Duane Taylor (BA, University of Illinois; MA, Yale University) is a former college-level English and humanities instructor and community-college administrator. Currently serving on the board of the Keokuk Public Library Foundation, he is a student of local history, including the Mormon period in Nauvoo, and a lifelong student of Lincoln.
Dr. Michael Lorenzen
Dr. Michael Lorenzen is a Professor of University Libraries at Western Illinois University and Coordinator of the Archives and Special Collections. In this role, he works with the local history of West-Central Illinois and also the extensive Mormon Collection. He has been Coordinator of Archives since 2019 and previously served as Dean of Libraries for WIU from 2013-2019. He has his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University, a Master of Library Science from Kent State University, and a Doctorate from Central Michigan University.
Rebecca Williamson
Rebecca is a single working mother. In her spare time she does genealogy, sews, quilts and gardens. She owns The Cambre House and Farm outside of Nauvoo, IL. It is an event venue, available for weddings and other events. The Cambre House also hosts events like painting nights, ghost tours and open houses during the summer. She is presently the Tourism Director for the City of Nauvoo.
Robert Cook
Robert Cook has had a long term presence in Nauvoo starting in the late 1970's. In the 1980's he bought the Independent building, which was originally called the Temple House and began a multi decade remodeling project. He was born and raised in Rhode Island and Massachusetts and came to the midwest with his first professional job at Bell Labs. Subsequently he taught at a small college in Naperville. After retirement he was a volunteer administrator for the Community of Christ and led the expansion of Camp Nauvoo.
Joseph Monson
Garret Moffit
David Felgar
David Felgar is very passionate about History and family genealogy. He volunteers for many projects for the Nauvoo Historical Society. His family's has been in the Nauvoo area since 1849 and 1858.
Nancy Benz
Nancy Benz, M.A. is the Curator of Collections and Exhibits at the Quincy Museum in Quincy, Illinois. She holds degrees in American History from Quincy University and Western Illinois University. Nancy has 10 years of public history experience and owns Tracking Your History: Family & History Preservation Services. She has studied the Ku Klux Klan, its auxiliaries, and its women’s counterparts since undergraduate school.
Dale Harris
Dale Harris born June 1936 in Jewell Co Kansas, moved to Hannibal, Mo., at 3 months of age with parents and on to Nauvoo by the end of year 1936. Graduated Nauvoo Public Schools 1954 and Keokuk Community College 1956. Served in US Army in Germany with honorable discharge and married Rosa Knorr in Carthage, IL. after she emigrated here from Germany on Nov 22, 1961. He lived his life in Nauvoo growing up helping his father in his various work and as a partner in the Hamilton Ready Mix Concrete business in 1954. After 22 years in the concrete busines He sold out in 1976 and became a fulltime building contractor in Nauvoo and surrounding area. After 63 years with Rosa she passed away 17 Sep 2023 and today he will still answer building related questions for information and do minor building work.
Heather Greeslaugh & Tim Phelps
Tim Phelps, a farmer, is a rural Plymouth native and active cemetery enthusiast. He is very involved with Scott's Cemetery. Heather Greenslaugh is from Nauvoo and been involved in cemetery preservation and research since the early 90's. Tim and Heather having been working together finding graves and cemeteries for years now.
Russ Fry
Russ Fry writes books about historical events that occured in southeast Iowa and west-central Illinois. He is also an award winning historical documentarian. Russ lives in Burlington, Iowa with his wife Beverly.
Dr. Joseph Smith
Dr. Joseph Smith was born in Salt Lake City and grew up near St. George, Utah before attending Brigham Young University where he received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. Dr. Smith has worked in the Chemical Industry and has taught at the University of Illinois, University of Michigan, and Missouri University of Science and Technology. His research focuses on developing sustainable energy systems and applying computational tools to simulate combustion equipment. Dr. Smith has spent many years as a volunteer for his church, for the Boy Scouts of America, and for the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for which he currently serves as President. Married to Eileen Sanford, they currently have 5 children and 14 grandchildren. Stories of his family in Nauvoo, previously documented in the book “Nightfall in Nauvoo” form the basis for this presentation.
Glenn Lloyd, Jr.
Glenn Lloyd, Jr., P.E. is a registered professional engineer; LTC retired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and currently a civil engineer with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Water Resources Center, Dam Safely Program in Rolla, Missouri. Mr. Lloyd earned his BS in Civil Engineering from the University of Connecticut in 1970, his MS in Civil Engineering from the University of Wyoming in 1977, and his ABD in Engineering Management from the University of Missouri, Rolla. Mr. Lloyd is currently an adjunct instructor at Park University and Webster University. Mr. Lloyd maintains the following teaching philosophy: “Give a man a fish, and he eats for one day. Teach a man to fish and he can feed himself and others!”
Donna Lawson
Donna Lawson moved to Nauvoo in May 2023. She has 3 children, 11 grandchildren and 3 great-grandbabies. She was a paralegal who loved working in the law field. She enjoys doing my family history and has been researching herancestors for 37 years.
Brian Stutzman
Brian Stutzman authored The History of Warsaw, Illinois, and has a life long interest in Hancock County history. Brian and his wife Alane recently opened up the Martyrdom Stories Historical Site on Mulholland in Nauvoo, a no-charge self-funded summer museum exploring the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith and the trial afterwards. Brian hails from Idaho Falls, Idaho, where he owns a telecomunications company, is an active real estate investor, and is heavily involved in state politics. He was recently released from serving as an LDS Bishop so he and his wife are now able to split their time between the regular residence in Idaho Falls, their winter home in Tarpon Springs, Florida, and their summer home in Nauvoo. They have 4 sons.
Kimberli Grant
Kimberli and her husband, Tom, have both been dancing since childhood, but first met at a church dance in the late 1970's, fell in love and have been and dancing together ever since. They were involved with historic/vintage dancing in Georgia since 1995 and performed historical dances throughout the Atlanta area. The Grants have been sharing the enjoyment of 1700s and 1800s dancing in the various areas they have lived and although not formally trained, Kimbeli has studied and taught many historical dances at classes and balls over nearly two decades that highlight the charm of bygone eras. The Grants now reside in Nauvoo, Illinois and are thrilled to bring their historical merriments with them as they share the grandeur of antique dancing through their Historical Dance Classes and Balls and solve your dilemma of being born in the wrong century.
Debbie Callahan
Debbie’s mother, Dorothy Callaghan, was a Warsaw native who worked for the Navy in Washington, D. C. and met a friend who later became her roommate when they moved to San Francisco. Debbie was born and reared in the Bay Area, but the family visited Warsaw so frequently during childhood summer vacations that it became a second home. She has a Master of Science degree in Speech-Language Pathology and worked in public and private schools before moving to Warsaw in 2000. Her appreciation for local history led her to work for the Nauvoo Historical Society as a volunteer guide and as a Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA) at both the Weld House and Rheinberger Museums. She is a board member of the Warsaw Historical Society and enjoys sharing that community’s rich history at the local museum