Meet Our Team
We are pleased to announce our staff for Corsets & Cravats 2021.
Kara Bocek
Organizer, InstructorKara has been involved in 1860s living history since 1995 and making reproduction clothing since 1997. She earned a degree in Anthropology from the College of William and Mary where she also took costuming and patterning classes for fun. After several years doing archaeology Kara decided to put her sewing skills to more use and started her business Corner Clothiers, which focuses on civilian men’s clothing during the American Civil War. In addition to use by living historians her reproduction clothing and accessories are used at State and National Parks across the country and appear in several productions on television and the big screen. Collecting and researching original garments and photographic images are personal passions as well as key components of her business. Kara was an organizer and instructor in 2018 and 2019.
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Elizabeth Stewart Clark
Lecturer, InstructorElizabeth Stewart Clark has maintained her omnivorous fascination with the 19th century from childhood, with a focus on the mid-century era since 1992. She is the designer of The Sewing Academy-Historic Moments pattern line for mid-century sewing; author of The Dressmaker's Guide; and owner and host of both The Sewing Academy and History in Situ websites. She lectures and teaches nationally, and serves as Director of Interpretive Development for a minuscule history park near her home in the Idaho Rockies, where she and her family volunteer as interpreters. She has an inordinate fondness for dinosaurs, interesting rocks, whitework and terrible puns. Liz was an an instructor and featured lecturer in 2019.
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Rose Marie Favors
OrganizerIn 2011, Rose Marie Favors and her husband John moved to Newberry, SC as stewards of a historic home built in the 1830s. Since then, the two have worked tirelessly to bring history to the "Town of Friendly Folks." A retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel with 30 years of service, Rose Marie followed John, an artillery reenactor, to living history events for years. Feeling a bit discontent with just tagging along, she decided to explore civilian reenacting. She was encouraged by the late Betty Loba to attend classes by Carolann Schmitt [Genteel Arts LLC] and, as they say, “the rest is history”. Rose Marie served on the Corsets & Cravats planning committee of in 2018 and 2019, and was an instructor in 2019.
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Nicky Hughes
lecturer, instructorCurator, Kentucky Military History Museum – 1974-1986
Museums Division Manager, Kentucky Historical Society – 1986-1992 Curator, Kentucky’s Old State Capitol – 1992-1997 Historic Preservation Specialist, Kentucky Division of Historic Properties – 1997-2000 Curator of Historic Sites, City of Frankfort, Kentucky – 2000-2012 Executive Director, Shelby County Historical Society – 2019-present Publisher The Watchdog newsletter Editor, Camp Chase Gazette Editor, Civil War Historian Co-author, Historic Images of Frankfort, Vols. 1 & 2 Co-author, Frankfort Then and Now Author, Westminster Abbey of Kentucky – The Frankfort Cemetery Narrator and Drum Major, Saxton’s Cornet Band – 1989-present Narrator, Lexington Brass Band & The Brass Band of Louisville Colonel, The Breckinridge Battalion reenacting unit Surgeon, Western Independent Grays renacting unit |
Susan Lyon Hughes
LecturerSusan Lyons Hughes is Executive Director of the Jack Jouett House Historic Site in Versailles, Kentucky. She was formerly Manager of Museum and Special Programs at Shaker Village of Pleasant Hill, and Program Manager at the Kentucky Historical Society. She was founding editor of The Citizens' Companion, and associate editor of Civil War Historian Magazine. She has had articles published in The Kentucky Encyclopedia, North and South Magazine, Blue and Gray Magazine, The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society and The Texas Quarterly of the Texas Historical Society. A 7th generation Kentuckian, she holds a BA from Western Kentucky University, and did graduate work at Western and the University of Kentucky.
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Ann Maddox
OrganizerAnn has been reenacting from the time she was born in 1975 and traveling to events was a frequent occurrence from toddlerhood thru the teen years. Needless to say, she was destined for a life in the hobby. Attending seminars, workshops, lectures enriched the experience and led to a desire to best represent the 1860's woman. Ann met her husband, Brad Maddox, at a reenactment dance near Charleston at Boone Hall. They now reenact together and their 2 daughters occasionally join in the fun. In 2015, Ann worked to establish the Greenville Ladies Aid Association. A reenacting group modeled from the records of the original organization during the Civil War. She enjoys collecting fans, CDV's of fans being held by their owners, and original hoods. Ann looks forward to welcoming everyone to the Palmetto State, where you'll find "Smiling Faces, Beautiful Places". Ann has served on the planning committee since 2018 and was an instructor in 2019.
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Jessamyn Reeves-Brown
iNSTRUCTORJessamyn Reeves-Brown has been researching and creating historical and vintage dress since the 1980s, and sharing that information on-line since the 1990s with the help of her husband David, first through her website Jessamyn's Regency Costume Companion, and more recently as moderator on the Facebook groups The Civilian Civil War Closet and Victorian-70s Antique & Vintage Clothing Dating Help.
Since attending Vassar College, Jessamyn has been a custom dressmaker, the textile curator for an 1840s house museum, board member of the Western North Carolina Historical Association, and the editor of Strings, a magazine for violin players and makers. She has performed historic and folk dances and songs and music from Renaissance madrigals to folk rock, and she has created historic clothing spanning from the 11th century to the 20th. Jessamyn was an instructor in 2018. |
Jeannie Rucker
OrganizerJeannie made her first hooped gown in 1969 at age 6, using a real sewing machine, wire hangers and an old curtain. Through the years her sewing skills have improved and she has made hundreds of costumes for pageants, parades, plays, operas and period events. Twenty five years of historical time travel include; The Revolutionary War, War Between the States, WWII and Pirates of the Carolinas. A collector of Mid-19th century clothing and accessories for 40 years, she owns and extensive collection. She is a retired Delta Flight Attendant, attended Jet Mechanic School, holds sky diving certification, private pilot, scuba dives, runs in marathons, performed in Musical Theater, traveled to 28 countries, studied ballet, harp and Italian Opera. She has held many Pageant titles. This year marks the 30th anniversary of her volunteer work with Miss America. With her husband, Chris, a retired head and neck surgeon, they have hosted a Civil War Era Ball, "The Firing on Ft. Sumter Ball" held every April in Spartanburg, SC since 2002. They live in Spartanburg with their two Persian cats, a Tortie Point named Nelly Bly and fancy retired Show Cat Princess Winnie Davis. Jeannie has been an organizer of Corsets & Cravats since 2018.
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Carolann Schmitt
InstructorCarolann Schmitt attended her first reenactment in 1969. She founded the Genteel Arts Academy in 1988 to encourage interest in the clothing and needlework of the Civil War era, and continues to teach hands-on classes at locations across the country. From 2000 through 2018 she was the sponsor and organizer of the annual 1860s Conference/Civilian Symposium held in Harrisburg, PA. She has a lifelong interest in historic costume, sewing, needlework, and knitting and believes you can never have too many books or too much fabric.
Carolann is a Past President and former member of the Board of Directors of the Fashion Archives and Museum of Shippensburg University, a member of the Costume Society of America and the Association for Living History Farms and Museums (ALHFAM). She has contributed articles to several publications and is a featured speaker at conferences and historic sites throughout the country. Now retired from her 21st century career, she and her husband Don continue to pursue their interests in history and travel. She estimates it will be 2152 before she completes the items on her “to-do when I retire” list. Carolann was a featured lecturer and instructor in 2018 and 2019. |
Mackenzie Anderson
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