Board of Directors
David Keller, Managing Director: David Keller is a long time resident ofChicago and an amateur historian. Mr. Keller’s professional life included various executive positions at Chicago area commercial banks. He is a respected expert witness in banking matters throughout the country. Retired since 2002, he devotes much of his time to volunteer activities including the Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago History Museum and American Youth Soccer Organization. David’s interest in Camp Douglas comes from his interest in the Civil War, Civil War Prison Camps and 19th century Chicago history. The founder of the Foundation, Mr. Keller is in demand as a speaker on the Civil War and Camp Douglas and has written four books, The Story of Camp Douglas, Chicago’s Forgotten Civil War Prison and Robert Anderson Bagby, Civil War Diary (Annotated) 1863-1865, Command at Antietam, Lincoln McClellan and Lee, and Military Prisons of the Civil War, a comparison.
To All Those who have been invested in and supportive of the Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation:
It is with heavy hearts and a deep sense of loss that we share with you that David Keller passed away on April 28, 2022, the result of a long illness. His passing was peaceful and took place in his home. David is remembered as someone who pursued his passion. He was determined to raise awareness of the significance of Camp Douglas to Chicago’s history and to the United States Civil War. To that end, he wrote 3 books on prisoner-of-war camps and made numerous presentations for Civil War Roundtables, libraries, schools, community groups and Civil War shows. As the Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation’s Managing Director, his leadership guided all our endeavors. He will be missed. Recently, CDRF was awarded a grant from the National Park Service to create a traveling exhibit that will tell the story of Camp Douglas. This exhibit will be a lasting legacy of David’s commitment to telling that story.
The Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation Board of Directors
Gary Benson, Director: Gary is a lifelong Chicago resident and practicing attorney in the Lincoln Park area. He is a Juris Doctor graduate, with honors, from the IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law. He is a frequent lecturer and author on topics pertaining to real estate law, his primary area of practice. His practice also concentrates in and includes estate planning, probate, injury law, and business/corporate law. Gary also is an active real estate investor and avid golfer. He is a volunteer in various professional and social organizations, including the Sierra Club (Life Member), Chicago District Golf Association (Board of Directors), Illinois State and Chicago Bar Association, the Lincoln Park Builders, and Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce. His involvement in civil war history dates to a longstanding interest in Abraham Lincoln and legal history in Illinois. As to golf, he is a competitive amateur golfer who plays in tournaments around the world. He maintains a golf website entitled “TravelingChicagoGolfer.com”. Other interests include family, Chicago sports, politics, and writing poetry. Contact Informationgbenson@campdouglas.org.
Michael M. Gregory, Ph.D. Director: Michael has managed archaeological excavations on the site of Camp Douglas since 2013. A native of Virginia with a strong interest in the Civil War, he received his B.S. in anthropology from Washington and Lee University and his M.A and Ph.D. from Arizona State University. He is a Professional Lecturer, Anthropology, DePaul University and manages the DePaul Archaeology Field School. The Field School has done extensive work in Maywood, IL at sites related to the community’s African American heritage as well as at the Camp Douglas site. Michael joined DePaul University in 2009. He has participated in archaeological investigations in Virginia, Arizona, and in the Midwest, including Isle Royale and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He has written extensively on these excavations. Contact information mgregory@campdouglas.org
Philip Grinstead, Founding Director and Secretary: Philip W. Grinstead was with the IBM Corporation for twenty-five years, serving as senior sales executive for three of IBM’s largest international commercial accounts. A specialist in complex technical application solutions and financial marketing, Phil earned numerous awards including President of the 100% Club, IBM’s highest sales and marketing honor. After retiring from IBM in 1992, Phil was an independent consultant serving multiple Fortune 1000 companies. Active in philanthropy and community service, Phil is a volunteer at Lincoln Park Zoo and the Art Institute of Chicago. He is on the Zoning Board of the West DePaul Neighborhood Association, participates in his neighborhood CAPS program, and is a volunteer supporter of the Ryan and Jenny Dempster Foundation, which is dedicated to research in the DiGeorge Syndrome. Phil also served multiple years as master of ceremonies for the Old Town Art Fair auction fundraiser. A life-long Chicago resident, Phil is interested in the history and preservation of the city and region. Contact Information: pgrinstead@campdouglas.org
Andy Irvine, Founding Director: Andy Irvine is the Safety Director and Project Manager for Clark Roofing Co. in Broadview, IL, and has been involved in various facets of the construction industry in Chicago for over 18 years. A lifelong Chicagoland resident with a passion for Chicago history, Andy’s interest in Chicago’s history began during a high school field trip to the Prairie Avenue Historic District, when he found a deep appreciation for historical Chicago architecture. Andy hopes to contribute to the understanding of Camp Douglas through historical accurate reconstruction of the Camp facilities. Contact Information: airvine@campdouglas.org.
Dan Joyce, Director: Dan Joyce is the Director Emeritus of the Kenosha Museum Campus and Research Archaeologist at the University of Wisconsin Parkside. He has been a museum professional and archaeologist for over forty years. He has completed archaeological field work in New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Alaska, Yukon Territory, Illinois and Wisconsin. He is co-discoverer with Dave Wasion and Ruth Blazina-Joyce of the Schaefer mammoth, a 14,300-year-old mammoth kill site. He has worked on numerous projects including a historic trading post, Potawatomi village, Fort Crawford, and an 1835 settlers cabin. He loves to build things – canoes, kayaks, woodworking, blacksmithing and more. He also enjoys the outdoors more than the indoors. Contact Information: djoyce@campdouglas.org
Theodore J. Karamanski, PhD is Professor of History and Director of the Public History Program at Loyola University Chicago. He has served as a heritage consultant to the National Park Service on numerous occasions in Alaska and across the Midwest region as well as for National Geographic, The History Channel, and the Travel Channel. His public history work has focused on Great Lakes region cultural resource management, environmental history, and American Indian rights. He is author of ten books including Rally ‘Round the Flag: Chicago and the Civil War and Civil War Chicago: Eyewitness to History (w/Eileen McMahon). His most recent book is Mastering the Inland Seas: How Lighthouses, Harbors and Navigational Aids Transformed the Great Lakes and America. He is a founding board member of the Chicago Maritime Museum and the National Council on Public History. Contact information: tkaramanski@campdouglas.org
Andrew L. Leith, Director: Andrew is the Conservation and Collections Program Manager at the Chicago Cultural Alliance. As a fifth-generation Chicagoan, he has deep ties to local histories and communities throughout the city, as well as a commitment to heritage and preservation. Andrew is a historical archaeologist, historic preservationist, and museum anthropologist with 18 years of professional experience. He conducted undergraduate research in anthropology at Loyola University Chicago and master’s research in archaeology at the University of Chicago, and in historic preservation at the University of Texas at Austin. Andrew worked for nearly ten years in the Anthropology Collections Center at the Field Museum of Natural History. He has been involved with the CDRF since 2011. Contact Information aleith@campdougls.org.
Leroy “Roy” Malone, Director-Education: Roy attended NIU, Chicago State University and Northeastern Illinois University where he received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and educational administration and supervision. He retired after 35 years as a teacher and Assistant Principal with the Chicago Public Schools. In 2001 he was a finalist for the “Outstanding Leadership Award” awarded by the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association. He currently is a consultant to school districts in teaching and leadership skills as well as management strategies and school-wide discipline programs. Roy is a volunteer at the Chicago History Museum and Evanston Hospital. An avid Chicago sports fan Roy and his wife live in Evanston. Contact Information: rmalone@campdouglas.org.
Dean Rodkin, Director-Education: Dean received her BS in Education from Northwestern and MS from Northern Illinois. She retired after 30 years as a junior high school social studies teacher and Student Council Advisor in Darien IL. While teaching she served as Assistant Director of the Illinois Association of Junior High Student Councils (IAJHSC) Summer Leadership Camp. An active member of the board of directors of the Darien (IL) Historical Society she coauthored Images of America: Darien. Ms Rodkin is also a volunteer at the Chicago History Museum and Graue Mill, Oak Brook IL. Her goal is to get kids hooked on local history and for them to see history as much more than about dead people. Contact Information: drodkin@campdouglas.org
Bernard Turner, Director-Community Relations: Bernard Turner was born in Bronzeville and educated in the Chicago Public School system. He studied German as an undergraduate at University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and attended graduate school at the University of Chicago. Mr. Turner has been a teacher of Language Arts, German and Spanish on the middle school and high school and worked in educational publishing in sales and marketing until December 2014. He has also served as a gallery interpreter at the Chicago History Museum since 2000. In 2002, Mr. Turner founded Highlights of Chicago Press with the publication of A View of Bronzeville, a neighborhood tour guide that focuses on the Camp Douglas Restoration Foundation Board of Directors important institutions and people that made Bronzeville a great neighborhood. Other publications include The Windies’ City—Chicago’s Historical Hidden Treasures, Chicago Neighborhoods with Flavor—Getting Out of the Loop, and a social studies book for children called Our Chicago—People and Places. Bernard co-wrote and published Tate and His Historic Dream, a Phillis Wheatley Award Finalist. Bernard is on the board of Bronzeville Trail Task Force and is executive director of Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Commission. Contact Information bturner@campdouglas.org.
