About WC-ALL

Charles Aldrich moved to Chestertown from the Washington, DC area after a lengthy career as an active-duty Air Force officer, a consultant supporting the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, and a civilian employee of the Department of Defense.  He earned his BS degree in History from the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and taught World and Asian History there for four years.  He also holds an MA degree in Asian History from the University of Indiana and an MA degree in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College.  In addition to his active participation in WC-ALL programs, Charles is a member of the Chester River Chorale, the Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Dover English Country Dancers, and a frequent historic reenactor at the Mount Harmon Plantation and other regional historic sites.

Nancy Bennington is a Chestertown native who returned to Kent County after living for a number of years in Washington, DC and Pittsburgh.  She received a BA degree in Art and Education from Towson University and had a varied career as an art and special education teacher in the Kent County public school system, an employment specialist for the County's Department of Social Services, and in the art world as a specialist in the gilding, conservation, and restoration of antique frames for museums and private clients.  Since retiring from full-time employment, Nancy has tutored in the local schools and been an active participant in many local nonprofit organizations, serving on the boards of Imagination Alley, Kidspot (a subsidiary of RiverArts), and The Friends of the Library, which she also served as President.  Nancy's many years of membership in WC-ALL include teaching two courses.

Barbara Brown retired to Chestertown in 2013 after living in the Washington, DC area and working in management roles for an architectural review board and a company providing services to over 200 planned communities and resident associations.  Prior to that, she earned a BS degree Business, Health, and Nutrition from Penn State University and worked as an information specialist in food and nutrition in New York State and West Virginia.  In addition to her membership in WC-ALL, Barbara has served as a commissioner on Chestertown's Historic District Commission, Co-President of the Women's League of Washington College, a volunteer for the Sultana Foundation, a docent for the Kent County Historical Society, a member of the League of Women Voters, a founding board member of the Eastern Shore Democrats Political Action Committee, and Vice President of the Kent County Democratic Club.

Jeff Coomer is a Washington College alumnus who retired to Chestertown with his wife, Susan, after a career as the global CIO of a Fortune 500 company.  He is a certified Master Naturalist, member of the Chestertown Tree Committee, and former member and chair of the town's Historic District Commission.  He is currently serving as Chair of WC-ALL and has taught a number of courses on Buddhism, Stoicism, and poetry.

Wendy Cronin, PhD, is a retired infectious disease epidemiologist. She was Maryland Department of Health principal investigator for the Maryland collaborative site (MDH with Johns Hopkins University TB Research Center) of a national TB research consortium funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Consulting with WHO and Hopkins, Dr. Cronin also spent 15 years in low-income countries about infection control and TB prevention.

Jeff Ferguson is a retired business executive whose career spanned work in health care services, manufacturing and higher education.   Included in his positions were those of CEO of Marriott Senior Living Services, President of Management and Operations for Erickson Senior Living and President, CEO of Sentient Medical Systems.  He, his wife, Jane, and their two little wire-haired dachshunds moved to Chestertown in 2018.  His main activities in retirement have focused on giving back to the communities which he has been part of.  Included in these activities has been a current position on Maryland's Critical Area Commission.

Previously, he served on the Maryland State Leadership Council on Education where he chaired the workgroup on assisting more adults to successfully attain their GED and the Anne Arundel County Planning Advisory Board.  He also was on the board of directors for Annapolis Lifecare for five years and served as Vice President and President of the board.  Since moving to Chestertown, he has been an active participant in WC-ALL classes each semester and been part of the Chestertown Lions Club.

Academically, he possesses a Doctor of Management from Case Western Reserve University, a MBA from the Wharton School, a MA from the University of Akron and a BA from Lafayette College.  WC-ALL's emphasis on continued learning in retirement fits very easily into his personal belief of being a lifelong learner and the encouragement of others to expand their horizons as they age.

Richard Gillin retired from the Washington College faculty in 2019 after a 47-year tenure that included 12 years as Chairman of the English Department and 21 years as Chairman of the Humanities Program. He taught courses in English Romanticism, Victorian Literature, and Eighteenth-Century English Literature on the undergraduate and graduate levels, and with his wife, Barbara, directed and led the Kiplin Hall Summer Program visits to England and Ireland for twenty years. He is now the Ernest A. Howard Professor Emeritus at the College.  In retirement, he has taught an undergraduate course at the College in two semesters, as well as a course for WC-ALL.

Shirley Loller has been a dedicated member of the Chestertown community since 1984. A recent retiree from Washington College, she served the institution from 2007 to 2023 in the Provost's, President's, and Business Offices. Her roles included oversight of event planning and conference services, allowing her to build strong connections between the College and the broader community.

Shirley holds a B.A. in Humanities with minors in History and French Studies. from Washington College. Deeply committed to public service, she was appointed by the Kent County Commissioners to the Kent County Tourism Board, where she served for six years, including time as Chair. In addition, she contributed to local education as a member of the Henry Highland Garnett Elementary School Improvement Team in 1999.

As a long-time resident who raised her family in Chestertown, Shirley believes strongly in the value of community engagement. She views Washington College and programs like WC-All as vital assets that enrich life in Kent County. Shirley brings her deep local roots, professional experience, and collaborative spirit to her service on the WC-ALL Council.

Stephanie Pessin, BA, BS, MPT has recently retired from practicing licensed physical therapy for 25 years, during which she treated patients and taught individuals in group classes in rehab facilities, hospitals, outpatient clinics and studios in Baltimore and around the bay area in California. As much as she loves to practice healing, she is much more jazzed to help her patients and students prevent becoming rehab patients. Prior to entering this profession, she studied alternative bodywork modalities with practitioners on both USA coasts and at the College of Traditional Chinese Acupuncture in England.

Elizabeth (Liz) Peterson received a BA in Zoology from Drew University in Madison, NJ. She worked as Zoology Lab Operations Manager for two years at Drew University. She moved to Washington, DC and worked in various and increasingly responsible positions at American University. Receiving her MA in Biology from American University and taught general biology and environmental biology for 25+ years as Adjunct II at Montgomery College in Germantown, MD. She raised three children with her husband and served as a substitute teacher in Frederick County Public Schools. Liz received her MA in Global Field Experience/Zoology from Miami of Ohio University, Oxford, OH. She volunteers for a variety of organizations.

Pat grew up in a small East Texas town in the '60s and '70s. She went to college at Lamar University and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. After graduation she went to work for Mobil Oil, which later became ExxonMobil. The majority of her career was spent working in the Information Technology organization where she held several individual contributor and managerial positions. Her different roles afforded her the opportunity to travel extensively across the United States and around the world. She retired in 2015 and she and her husband moved to Chestertown in 2017. In addition to being on the WC-ALL Council and Chair of the Membership Committee, she is also a member of the Olde Kent Quilt Guild. In her leisure time she enjoys golf, quilting, traveling, cooking a good meal, seeing a good movie, and reading a good book.

Linda Robbins moved to Chestertown from Boston and immediately became involved with all the opportunities Chestertown has to offer.  With a background in finance management, she took on the role for Emmanuel Church of running the Holiday Bazaar, which usually raised $20,000 for the Kent and Queen Anne's community.
 
Linda became Commodore of the Chester River Yacht Club for three years and continues to run its Sailing Lesson Program. She serves as Treasurer for the WC-ALL Council.

Yolanda Sanchez is a native of Oviedo, Spain, where she earned an undergraduate degree in Biology and a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.  She met her husband, Fernando, while both were doing post-doctoral research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD.  After nine years on the faculties of Washington University in St. Louis and the Wake Forest School of Medicine, Yolanda spent fourteen years in positions of increasing responsibility at GlaxoSmithKline in Philadelphia.  Most recently, she has worked with more than a dozen biotech companies as an independent scientific consultant in various therapy areas and drug modalities.  She and Fernando became familiar with Chestertown and Kent County while living in Philadelphia and keeping their sailboat in Rock Hall.  Since moving to Chestertown full-time in 2022, she has been active in WC-ALL as a student, instructor, and member of the Curriculum Committee.

Since 2009, the WC-ALL Council has presented the George Award for teaching excellence to one of our instructors. 

2025 - Satinder S. Sidhu

2024 - George Hermann

2023 - Bob Miller

2022 - Beverly Hall Smith

2021 - Lucia Rather

2020 - John Christie

2019 - John Ames

2018 - Charlotte Dennett Hawees

2017 - Judie Oberholtzer

2016 - Dick Hawkins

2015 - Bayly Janson-LaPalme

2014 - Jane Hukill

2013 - Daniel Oberholtzer

2012 - Ralph Thornton

2011 - Charles Holstead

2010 - Patricia Molloy

2009 - Richard Lance

• Joan Ellenhorn - 1992-1996
• Jane Hukill - 1997/98 and 1998/99
• Ben Ribaudo - 1999/2000
• Ted Chase - 2000/01
• Dick Hawkins - 2001/02 and 2002/03
• Dick Lance - 2003/04 and 2004/05
• Juli Dulmage - 2005/06
• Jim Sood - 2006/07 and 2007/08
• Ginny Barker - 2008/09 and 2009/10
• John Christie - 2010/11, 2011/12 and 2012/13
• Bill Low - 2013/14 and 2014/15
• Betty Spence - 2015/16 and 2016/17
• David White - 2017/18
• David White -2018/2019
• Jan Elvin - 2019/2020 and 2020/2021
• Anna Wolgast - 2021/22 and 2022/23
• Jeff Coomer - 2023/24

• Sue Urda - 1995-1998
• Anne Singer - 1998 - 2011
• Susan McRae - 2011 - 2012
• Meghan Siudzinski - 2012- 2013
• Sue Calloway - 2013 - 2022
• Sandy Brown - 2022-2023
• Shane Brill - 2023-2025
• Julia Medrano - 2025-

Mrs. Lillian Baltzersen
Rev. & Mrs. Henry Breul
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Bryan
Ms. Judith Cameron
Mr. & Mrs. William Catherwood
Ms. Ermine Christian
Miss Margaretta Cowenhoven
Mrs. Sybil Curtin
Mrs. Mary Booth Davis
Mr. Richard Davis
Mrs. Jo Doherty
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Draper
Dr. Joan Ellenhorn
Mr. & Mrs. Etore Grassi
Mr. & Mrs. William Gullett
Mrs. Frances Hilleary
Ms. Mariana Hitchner
Rev. & Mrs. Robert Hollett
Ms. Ann W. Hoon
Mr. & Mrs. Robert Hukill
Mrs. Clare Ingersoll
Mrs. Maureen Jacoby
Mrs. Frederick Keer
Ms. Harriette Kratzner
Mr. & Mrs. Karl Lemp
Ms. Anne Logan
Ms. Ann H. McLain
Dr. & Mrs. Ralph Meng
Mrs. Patricia Mercer
Mrs. Irma Miller
Mrs. Tibor Nagey
Mrs. Eleanor Peterson
Mrs. Dorothy Plummer
Mr. & Mrs. Ray Reidinger
Mr. & Mrs. Henry Riddle
Mr. Lyell Ritchie
Dr. & Mrs. Peter Rodman
Mrs. Anita Rudnick
Mr. & Mrs. Frank Rush
Ms. Hazel Saunders
Mr. & Mrs. Warren Schlenker
Mr. Thomas Scuderi
Mr. James A. Simpson
Ms. Carolyn Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Don Smith
Mrs. Jean M. Smith
Mr. Joseph Stevens Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Chandler Swallow
Mr. & Mrs. Yasuo Takahashi
Mr. & Mrs. Tony Toriello
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Urda
Mr. Joseph Vaughan
Mrs. Nelson Vaughan
Ms. Martha Werle
Ms. Betty Whiteley
Mr. & Mrs. George Winner
Mr. & Mrs. Gibson Winter
Mrs. Joan Wise

We award scholarships every Fall.  Past recipients include:
 
2022-23

• Katharine Esposito

2021-22

• Zeynap Okyay
• Andrew Fellows

2020-21

• Leann Standridge

2019-20

• Mark Stewart

2018-19

• Lori Wysong
• Molly Gorney
• Aubrey Robinson