People Behind the Posts

Todd Maxwell Pelfrey is the Executive Director of the History Center. He holds a M.A. in American and Public History from the University of North Dakota and a B.A. in History and International Business from Muskingum College. Todd also serves on the Board of Directors for the Allen County Courthouse Preservation Trust and the Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor Commission.

John D. Beatty is a past member of the History Center's Board of Directors. John is a reference librarian and bibliographer for the Genealogy Center of the Allen County Public Library. He served on the History Center's Board of Directors and chaired its Collections Committee. John holds an A.B. in History and A.M.s in both History and Library Science from the University of Michigan. He is the author of several books and articles on local history and genealogy, including most recently serving as co-editor of the two-volume History of Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana, published in 2006.

Scott Bushnell is a past member of the History Center's Board of Directors.

Tom Castaldi, a History Center board member, is Allen County (Indiana) Historian. Retired as an Essex Group vice president in 1998, he has authored several books and articles about the Wabash Erie Canal. Tom currently hosts "On the Heritage Trail," which broadcasts on WBOI, 89.1 FM and "Historia Nostra" heard on WLYV-1450 AM.

Carmen Doyle, a History Center staff member, is a graduate of Ball State University with a Bachelors degree in Public History. She is a previous staff member of the Lincoln Museum before its closure.

Jennifer Balliet Milholland is a past member of the History Center’s Board of Directors. She majored in art and literature at Saint Francis College in Fort Wayne, studied the Renaissance and Reformation at The Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, Keble College, Oxford University, and holds an A.M. in the Humanities from the University of Chicago, where she concentrated on medieval literature and culture. She is currently a marketing manager and writer for a Fortune 500 company.

Peggy Seigel is a past member of the History Center’s Board of Directors. She has published articles on a variety of topics relating to Fort Wayne history. Her interests include Civil War nurses, the Underground Railroad and the abolitionist movement, and women and African Americans as industrial workers. She has written two articles about Eliza George for Old Fort News. Articles related to suffrage are featured in History of Fort Wayne and Allen County, Indiana, v. I, and in the September 2006 Indiana Magazine of History. A former English teacher with degrees from the University of Michigan (A.B., English), Georgetown University (M.S., Italian) and Butler University (M.A., English), and the African/African-American Historical Museum.

Marsha Smiley is a past member of the History Center’s Board of Directors as well as the African/African-American Historical Society. She holds a BA in History from Indiana University, Bloomington. She has written, directed, and produced two history-focused plays for youths: “From Activists to Powerbrokers: Voices Inspiring Our Hearts” and “Reclaiming Our Rich Legacy.” She has received numerous awards for her extensive volunteer work with youth. She volunteered for Projects READS for a decade. In 1999 she founded “Spirit Flight,” an educational program which interweaves African-American history with the study of virtues. At the Fort Wayne Boys & Girls Club, she presently facilitates literacy programming for children and teens.

Cathy Wilson is the Marketing Coordinator for The History Center. She holds a BA in Marketing from Anderson University. She has worked for many notable companies in Fort Wayne including Frontier Communications, Phil's Hobby Shop, and Lincoln Financial Group. Cathy also serves on the Board of Directors for Kate's Kart.