Susan Decker
1998 - present

• Grandmother (Borghild Aanstad) survivor of the Eastland Disaster
• Eastland Disaster Historical Society (Co-Founder; Vice President, and Trustee, 1998-present)
• Hines Lumber Company (Executive Assistant, 1987-present)
• GTAX (Executive Assistant, 1977-1987)
• Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin, 1974-1977

George Drost
2004 - present

• Drost, Kivlahan & McMahon, Ltd. (Partner, 1987-present)
• Honorary Consul of the Czech Republic (2002-present)
• Council of Higher Education, Chicago (2002-present)
• Village of Arlington Heights (Plan Commissioner, 1998-present)
• Lutheran Home and Services for the Aged, Arlington Heights (Director, 1996-2003)
• John Marshall Law School (Adjunct Professor, 1996-present)
• John Marshall Law School/Masaryk University Exchange Program (participant, 1994-present)
• Wheeling Township Mental Health Commission (Member, 1988-1993)
• CoVest Banc, Des Plaines, IL (Director, 1987-2003)
• Uhlich Children's Home, Chicago (Vice Chairman, Director/Officer, 1987-2002)
• Parkside Human Services (Chairman, 1982-1984)
• DoALL Company (Assistant General Counsel, 1974-1987)
• Department of Treasury, Internal Revenue Service (1972-1974)
• B.A., Augustana College, Rock Island, IL, 1969; University of Illinois Law School, Champaign, IL, 1970; J.D. degree, DePaul Law School, Chicago, IL (1972)

Liz Garibay
2005 - present

• Manager of Public Programs, Chicago History Museum (2006 - Present)
• Senior Associate, The Garibay Group, Chicago (2003 - Present)
• Curatorial Assistant, Peabody Museum, Harvard University (2000-2002)
• Senior Exhibit Developer, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago (1999-2000)
• Exhibit Developer / Adult Course Instructor, Field Museum, Chicago (1997-2000)
• Conducted archaeological investigations throughout the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Peru, Bolivia, and Italy.
• National Science Foundation, Ford Foundation, Robert E. McNair Foundation Fellow (various)
• B.A. (Anthropology and History), University of Illinois (1995)
• Graduate work in Archaeology, Boston University and Harvard University (2000-2003)

Russell Lewis
2002 - present

• Chicago History Museum (Executive Vice President and Chief Historian)
• Illinois State Historical Society (Board of Directors, 2001-present)
• Street-Level Youth Media (Board of Directors; past President)
• Organization of American History; Urban History Association; American Historical Association; National Council on Public History; American Association of Museums; Midwest Museum Association
• B.A. (Anthropology), University of Florida, 1973; M.A. (American Culture), University of Michigan, 1976; Ph. D. Candidate, Museum History

Barbara Decker Wachholz
1998 - present

• Grandmother (Borghild Aanstad) survivor of the Eastland Disaster
• Eastland Disaster Historical Society (Co-Founder; Vice President, Secretary, and Trustee, 1998-present)
• Mississippi Valley Airlines, Moline, Illinois (Executive Assistant, 1982-1985)
• Gould Corp, Schaumburg, Illinois (Executive Assistant, 1978-1982)
• St. James Parish Community Theater, Arlington Heights, Illinois (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, 2000; Sister Sophia in The Sound of Music, 2001; Lead role in Cinderella, 2002)
• St. Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights, Illinois (Contemporary Christian group)
• Carthage College, Kenosha, Wisconsin, 1977-1978

Ted Wachholz
1998 - present

• Eastland Disaster Historical Society (President, Executive Director, and Trustee, 1998-present)
• Author of The Eastland Disaster, published by Arcadia Publishing, the nation's largest publisher of local history (2005)
• Thriving Historical Societies, Arlington Heights, Illinois (Founder/Consultant, 2003-present)
• Primerica Financial Services, Arlington Heights, Illinois (District Manager, 1997-present)
• Computer Sciences Corporation, Schaumburg, Illinois (Service Recovery Technician, 2003-present)
• Motorola, Inc., Schaumburg, Illinois (Manager, Customer Services, 1990-1994; Telecommunications Analyst, 1994-2003)
• Elliotts' Off Broadway Deli, Elmhurst, Illinois (Owner and President, 1995-1997)
• John Deere, Moline, Illinois (various positions, 1979-1987; Division Manager, 1987-1990)
• Illinois State Historical Society, Springfield, Illinois (Advisory Board, 2002-present)
• St. Peter Lutheran Church, Arlington Heights, Illinois (Investment Advisory Board, 1999-present)
• B.S. (Math & Computer Science), Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, 1980, cum laude

Jay Bonansinga
2005 - present

• Novelist, screenwriter, filmmaker
• Author of the Sinking of the Eastland: America's Forgotten Tragedy (2004).
• Author of best-seller Frozen
• Author of seven additional acclaimed suspense novels
• Three original screenplays currently in development in Hollywood
• Received Superior Achievement Award from the Illinois State Historical Society for the Sinking of the Eastland: America's Forgotten Tragedy (2005).
• Finalist for a Bram Stoker Award for best first novel
• Awarded the prestigious silver plaque at the Chicago International Film Festival for his directing
• An accomplished short story writer, with numerous tales published in leading magazines
• B.A. (Film), University of Michigan, 1986; M.A. (Film), Columbia University (Chicago), 1988
• Visiting professor at Northwestern University (Chicago)
• Member of the Writers Guild of America and the Horror Writers Association

Jean Decker
2004 - present

• Mother-in-law (Borghild Aanstad) survivor of the Eastland Disaster
• Eastland Disaster Historical Society (Vice President, Treasurer, and Trustee, 1998-2004)
• Blue Cross/Blue Shield (Personnel, 1948-1956)
• NBC/Radio WJJD (Secretary, 1946-1948)
• NBC/TV including Hawkins Falls, Ransom Sherman Show, Chicago Show of Shows (actress, 1946-1947)
• Tracy Sisters (professional singer, 1946-1947)
• USO camp shows (1945-1946)
• Fifth Army Headquarters (1944-1945)
• Crowned Miss Business Machines of Chicago (1952)
• Crowned Miss White Collar Girl of Chicago (1953)
• Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois, 1950-1951

Earl Gallas
2006 - present

• Great-grandfather (Edward Stamm) survivor of the Eastland Disaster
• AmerenCilco, formerly Central Illinois Light Company (1965-2004; Supervisor, Construction Projects, 1976-1992; Senior Engineer, Substation Engineering; retired, 2004)
• Berks County (Pa.) Genealogical Society (Member, 1990-present)
• Salem Lutheran Church (Chairman, Endowment Fund; Men's Club)
• Institute for Learning in Retirement (Bradley University)
• Illinois Valley Striders (running club)
• B.S. (Construction Engineering), Bradley University, 1963; Certificate (Business Management), Bradley University, 1983
• Born in Chicago; early childhood years spent in Cicero, Illinois
• Graduate of Morton East High School, Cicero, Illinois

Carol Gilchrist
2004 - present

• Mother (Marie Homola Hrabacka) survivor of the Eastland Disaster
• Gobles Public Schools, Gobles, Michigan (Advisory Board)
• Owned and operated three nursery schools for 37 years in and near Gobles, Michigan (1965 - 2002)
• Acquired Child Developmemt Credential (1965)
• Began first nursery school in Van Buren County, Michigan (1965)
• Gobles Public Schools, Gobles, Michigan (Academic Hall of Fame)
• Early childhood years spent in Berwyn, Illinois

Bob Jerich
2004 - present

• Eastland Disaster Historical Society (Trustee, 2002-2004)
• Lucent Technologies (Midwest Director of Media Relations and Philanthropy, retired 2001)
• AT&T National Public Relations Professional Award (1992)
• Support Center of Chicago (Chairman); Little Village Community Council (Vice President); Cicero Chamber of Commerce and Industry (President); Cicero Economic Development Commission; Morton College Foundation (Board of Directors); ASPIRA of Chicago (Board of Directors)
• Chicago Association of Business Communicators; Publicity Club of Chicago; Chicago Area Public Affairs Group; Chicago Press Club; Chicago Area Contributions and Discussions Group
• Pi Delta Epsilon, National Honorary Journalism Fraternity
• B.A. (Major-Economics, Minor-Business/Journalism), Western Illinois University, 1965