Our April 19, 2018, speaker will be Don McConnell. Don is a retired Army officer and a graduate of the National War College in Washington, D.C. He worked as a senior intelligence analyst for the Department of the Defense in the Pentagon after his Army career, until retiring in 2012 and moving to Deer Park in 2013 with his wife, Debby.
Don has been a Civil war re-enactor since 2002 and has portrayed Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant at living history events in Virginia and in Washington State. He has given many presentations and talks on Union soldiers during the Civil War at schools, Civil War roundtables, and living history events at Civil War battlefields.
At our Westerners meeting, Don will talk about the development of Washington Territory from 1853-1861, and about U.S. Grant and Philip Sheridan during their time in Washington Territory before the Civil War. He will come as a Private in the 4th U.S. Infantry, and will focus on the regiment while it was in Washington Territory; he will also follow one company’s subsequent experience in the Civil War.
Please join us at the Airport Holiday Inn, 1616 S Windsor Drive Spokane, Washington 99224. Contact Pat Holien by April 16th, for reservations. Pat's email is patholien@comcast.net and
phone number is 509-951-2090
McConnell 4th US Infantry CW Days
Private Don McConnell
RJ Gibson 11
Lorae Sims
As some of you know, Jeff Sims' wife, Lorae Sims, went to heaven last Saturday. She died after falling on the ice while skating.
Here is what Jeff wanted to share.
"As you know, my wife was not a history buff. Her joy was quilting and fabric art, just as my joy is history. We did however share many other things in common, such as gardening, cooking, laughing, dancing and enjoying our granddaughter. She had a relentless love for her children, her granddaughter, her husband, her extended family, and an enormously wide circle of friends. Her smile and her laughter, though silenced now, will live on in the memory of all who knew her and loved her. The photo was taken at the Manito Park Lilac Garden, one of our favorite local places. We would have been married 20 years this May"
Est. 1955
Click on Nostalgia image above to see new video.
Upper images are courtesy of the Northwest Room . Images to the left are courtesy of the Logan Camporeale Collection. The video is courtesy of the Nostalgia Magazine Collection.
Westerners Speakers Team
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