John Broven is the author of Walking to New Orleans (1974), South to Louisiana (1983) and Record Makers and Breakers (2009). He was co-editor of Blues Unlimited, co-founder of Juke Blues Magazine and consultant at Ace Records, London. His website, also featuring Golden Crest Records, is www.johnbroven.com.
Frank J. Cavaioli is Professor Emeritus at Farmingdale State College, State University of New York, where he received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. In addition to West Point and the Presidency (1962), his history of Farmingdale State College has just been published by the State University of New York Press.
Hilary May received her MA in history from Clark University. She has spent three years transcribing documents for the Smithtown Historical Society, including the historic letters used in her article. She was co-curator of an exhibition for the society, Smithtown at War. She also volunteers with the Long Island Museum.
Stephen R. Patnode is an Assistant Professor at Farmingdale State College, State University of New York. His research investigates the relevance of gender to key topics in mid-twentieth century American history. He is currently revising his manuscript Manliness and Organization: Gender, Race, and the Challenges of Labor in Post-war America.
Durahn Taylor is an Assistant Professor of History at Pace University. A native of Queens, Dr. Taylor explores ethnic and race relations in New York politics. He is a New York Council for the Humanities speaker on the topic of the New York Civil War Draft Riots.
Beverly C. Tyler is the Three Village Historical Society Historian. He conducts walking tours and field trips, writes a local history column for the Village Times Herald, and has written over 800 local history articles. He appeared in the History Channel’s History’s Mysteries-production, “Spies of the Revolutionary War.”
Ross Wheeler is the director of the Macauley Honors College at Queens College where he also teaches in the English Department. His research interests include New York City parks and nineteenth-century industrial landscapes.