Officers

Regena Trant Schantz, President
Regena Trant Schantz earned a B.A. in English at Western Illinois University in 1969 and a M.A. in American studies at the University of Iowa in 1991. Her M.A. thesis was entitled: "The Davenport House and Family on Rock Island." She has worked at Old Capitol Museum, Iowa City, and taught in adult education programs for Black Hawk College, Scott Community College, and the Davenport Schools. She has taught a variety of courses in early community history in the St. Ambrose University's CommUniversity Program. Schantz was one of the founding members of the Colonel Davenport Historical Foundation (CDHF). She held every office on its board during her fifteen years of service and initiated a number of programs for CDHF outreach. Her research on George Davenport has been used for publicity and guide training. She also mentors young historians in research methods and speaks to local organizations on the Davenport House and Family. Recently she contributed a chapter on Fort Armstrong in Frontier Forts of Iowa (University of Iowa Press, 2009), and is one of the authors of Echoes from Riverside Cemetery, Moline, Illinois, published by Heritage Documentaries, Inc., 2009. Schantz is currently completing a book on the life of George Davenport.

Curtis C. Roseman, Vice President
A native of Moline, Curtis C. Roseman received a B. A. degree from Augustana College and a Ph. D. from the University of Iowa (1969), both in geography. He is Professor Emeritus of Geography at the University of Southern California, having been on the faculty at the University of Illinois (1969-1985) and USC (1985-2004). Roseman, who has published scores of articles, chapters, and books on human and cultural geography, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for research in New Zealand in 1989, and was selected as the 2005 Distinguished Scholar by the Ethnic Geography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers. Roseman's most recent research focuses on the historical geography of the Upper Mississippi River region and of Los Angeles. He co-edited Grand Excursions on the Upper Mississippi River (University of Iowa Press, 2004). He is lead author on A University and a Neighborhood: The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, 1880-1984 (Los Angeles: Figueroa Press, 2006), and has co-authored other recent books on Los Angeles. Roseman continues to with the USC Office of Civic and Community Relations (CCR) on campus and neighborhood projects, and in 2004 received a special award from CCR:  "Helping USC and the Community Rediscover the City of Angels." He has been co-editor of PlacesOnLine.org since 2001, and regularly conducts historical-geographical walking tours of both downtown Los Angeles and downtown Moline (Illinois).

David T. Coopman, Treasurer
David T. Coopman grew up in Moline and graduated from St. Ambrose College in 1970 with a B.A. degree in English. He taught English and was yearbook advisor at Moline (Illinois) High School from 1970 to 1977. From 1977 to 2003, he was employed in industrial sales and management. Coopman was president of the Rock Island County Historical Society from 1981 to 1983, and in 1994 he chaired the society's fundraising campaign for a major expansion of its library facilities.In 2005, he was chair of the Historical Society's year-long centennial celebration. Coopman has authored two books on the histories of local radio stations KSTT and WQUA. A third book, a pictorial history of Rock Island County, was published in 2008 by Arcadia Publications. Another Arcadia book, Davenport's WOC AM-FM-TV, will be published in May 2010. In addition to the books, he has written numerous articles for industrial and fire service publications.

Elizabeth M. Roseman, Secretary
Elizabeth M. Roseman was raised in Pennsylvania and received her higher education in geography at Beloit College in Wisconsin (B.A.-1970) and at the University of Illinois (M.A.-1972). She has resided for various lengths of time in Pennsylvania, Kansas, Illinois, New Zealand, and California. In these places she has had a smorgasbord of jobs including research analyst, environmental studies instructor, elementary school health clerk, supervisor of a peer tutoring reading program, church administrator, and cruise ship greeter and tour guide. She currently works seasonally as a clerk at a local confectionary. She is also a member of the board of directors of The Community Resource and Learning Center, a 501 (c) (3) that partners with other local organizations to facilitate ESL and GED classes. Located in Moline, Illinois this program has a family literacy focus. With Curtis Roseman, she edited Grand Excursions on the Upper Mississippi:  Places, Landscapes, and Regional Identity after 1854 published in 2004 by the University of Iowa Press. Recent research interests include transcontinental highway Route 6. Elizabeth and her husband Curtis have resided in Moline since 1999. 

Board of Directors

Ferrel E. Anderson earned a B.A. degree in chemistry at Augustana College in 1962 and has pursued graduate work in anthropology at the University of Illinois and chemistry at Kansas State University. He retired from a forty-year career in chemical research and materials engineering at the US Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity at Rock Island Arsenal. Anderson co-founded the Illinois Association for the Advancement of Archaeology and founded the Quad Cities Archaeological Society. He has served as president and director of these organizations, and has also served as president and director of the Iowa Archaeological Society. He initiated and championed the acquisition and development of the Albany Mounds State Historic Site, and is working with the Archaeological Conservancy and the professional archaeological community for the preservation of additional archaeological sites in the Quad City region. He is currently an employee of the University of Illinois Transportation Archaeological Research Program. He has written articles on local archaeology and is co-author of "Two Nations, One Land" published by the Citizens to Preserve Black Hawk Park Foundation in 1981. Anderson is currently researching the location of Saukenuk, the principle village of the Sauk, and pursuing its preservation.

Ronald W. Deiss holds a B. S. degree in anthropology and geography (1978) and an M.S. in archeology (1981) from Illinois State University. He has completed seventeen post-graduate training courses focusing on planning, preservation, historic properties, leadership, equal employment opportunity, and environmental studies. Deiss is currently District Archeologist, and District Historian and Native American Tribal Coordinator, in the Economic and Environmental Analysis Branch, Planning, Programs and Project Management Division, of the Rock Island District, U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. He has authored 49 articles, manuscripts and books on various topics, including preservation, history, archeology, and artifacts studies, and has presented over 45 papers at professional meetings and at clubs and other organizations. He has been a member of the Registry of Professional Archaeologists since 1985 and has experience in compiling and authoring material included in cultural resource management reports, environmental assessments, environmental impact statements, National Register of Historic Place eligibility determinations, historic property management plans covering prehistoric, historic, and architectural sites. As District Archeologist, Deiss assesses environmental situations and works dredging programs, ecosystem restoration, navigation and transportation studies, construction projects, the Environmental Management Program, the Historic Committee, military construction, real estate design memoranda, and specially-authorized studies. Deiss collected much of the background material for the video documentary, When Farmers Were Heroes: The Era of National Corn Husking Contests, released by Heritage Documentaries in 2009.

Timothy J. Murphy received his B. S. degree, with distinction, in psychology and his Ph. D. in clinical psychology from the University of Washington. He has 35 years of experience in the substance abuse treatment field as a clinician, researcher, administrator and author. Dr. Murphy has counseled heroin and cocaine addicts, chronic alcoholics, and problem drinkers. He has obtained grants to investigate the effectiveness of several treatment interventions for problem drinkers and cigarette smokers, has publications in professional journals, and has presented papers at national and international conferences. As a research associate faculty at the University of Washington, Murphy had the opportunity to work on a multi-million dollar project funded by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) focusing on the treatment of cocaine addiction, with responsibilities that included developing the treatment model (i.e., Cognitive-Behavioral Relapse Prevention), the treatment protocols, and the assessment instruments. Dr. Murphy has consulted on many other research projects around the country using the above model and applying it to the treatment of chronic marijuana abusers, sex offenders, and high-risk gay men. Murphy moved to the Quad Cities 19 years ago. He provided the overall leadership to a large hospital-based chemical dependency treatment program, while developing community-based and giving workshops. Dr. Murphy has taught at St. Ambrose University and Scott Community College, and currently maintains a clinical private practice in Davenport, Iowa.

Maxine Russman, Ed.D., is an Education Consultant with the Rock Island County Regional Office of Education (RIROE), an intermediate education agency serving the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and nine local public school districts. Dr. Russman is the Project Director for the Lights ON for Learning Community Learning Centers Network, a collaboration of school districts and community partners providing students with after school learning experiences. Dr. Russman also plans and coordinates social studies professional development opportunities for Illinois Quad City educators. She served on the 2003-04 Quad Cities Grand Excursion Education Committee coordinating historical materials for classroom use and teacher education. Dr. Russman holds bachelor and master degrees from the University of Wisconsin system and a doctorate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Russman is committed to linking programs produced by Heritage Documentaries to teachers and students in the classroom, ensuring that the stories of the past be shared in the present and be preserved for the future.

Kathleen Seusy received a Teachers Certificate, First Class Honors, from The Froebel Institute in London, and a B. A. in education from Marycrest College (1973). She taught elementary school in Cambridge, England and Buffalo, Iowa, and English literature at St. Katherines/St. Marks School in Bettendorf, Iowa (1980-85). As a volunteer at the Rock Island County Historical Society since 1990, Seusy has researched scores of local history topics and has written numerous articles and chapters on those topics. She regularly organizes educator's workshops on teaching local history for primary and secondary teachers. Since 1994 she also has been co-director of Historical Jamborees for grade school students of Moline and East Moline. Since 1996 Seusy has been organizer, researcher, and director of an annual cemetery walk program at Riverside Cemetery in Moline, Echoes from Riverside. For her work on that program the Moline Preservation Society named her Preservationist of the year in 2003. Seusy is the lead author of the 2009 book, Moline History Echoes From Riverside Cemetery, published by Heritage Documentaries, which secured funding for the book from the Moline Foundation.

David Ezra Sidran, Ph.D.  is a Midwesterner. Born in Racine, Wisconsin, Sidran studied photography and graphic design at the age of fifteen at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A year later he transferred to the University of Wisconsin, Madison where he studied typography, history and medieval economics. During this time Sidran became a sideman, playing piano in numerous bands that were headquartered out of Madison. Eventually, a two-week booking at the infamous Yankee Clipper in Rock Island, Illinois became a three-year 'house gig' and Sidran permanently relocated to the Quad Cities. In 1985 Sidran received a B. A. in computer animation from Marycrest College (the first accredited institution to offer a degree in this field). While still an undergraduate, he began work on his first computer game, UMS: The Universal Military Simulator, which he licensed to the British company TelecomSoft. Within six months it was the #1 selling computer game in England. Over the next fifteen years Sidran wrote numerous computer games including Designasaurus, UMS II: Nations at War, The War College, Jack the Ripper and Londoner. In 2005 and 2009 Sidran received Masters and Ph. D. degrees in Computer Science from the University of Iowa. His research area is Artificial Intelligence for simulations and games.