Meet the team that works hard to document, preserve, and share our great city’s history. Our backgrounds are varied and we’ve spent our lives living in Memphis. We’ve witnessed first hand the growth, setbacks, political scene and all that Memphis has been through. Our bench is deep with knowledge and a genuine desire for our history to be preserved.
(in alphabetical order)
Carlyle Acosta
Carlyle was born in Memphis and is a lifelong resident of Shelby County, growing up in the Berclair community.
After graduating from Kingsbury High School he attended Memphis State University majoring in Fine Arts, Painting and Ceramics. He brings a knowledge of maritime history in Memphis as well as history of architecture in Memphis. When our team needs a long lost and forgotten image, Carlyle is our go-to guy. His knowledge of film also serves us well.
Richard Arwood
Government History Researcher
Richard has been a Registered Dental Assistant/Driver Operator and Volunteer for the Christian Mobile Dental Clinic-Memphis, Tennessee since 2008. From 2004 – 2008 he was the Fire Chief (Director of Fire/EMS Services) for the City of Memphis which included the executive management of the metropolitan-size fire department consisting of 56 fire stations and
1,897 full-time personnel, protecting a population of 673,000, with a departmental budget of $160 million.
Prior to this he was Assistant Fire Chief of Collierville from 2001-2004. Other positions included a Branch Manager for Guardsmark Inc., Executive Director-Iowa State Fire Training, Program Chair – Fire ScienceProgram for State Technical Institute at Memphis. Also Richard previously served for 6 years as a key advisor on the development and deployment of the Fire Science Program (while Chief of Training at the MFD).
From 1972 – 1997 he was the Division Chief of Fire Training for the Memphis Fire Department (Highest achieved Rank)
Richard is also a published author of both research papers and of the book The Assessment Center and Developing Job-Related Selection Procedures, published in 1988.
He graduated from the University of Memphis with a M.P.A. – Master of Public Administration
Willy Bearden
Willy Bearden is a Memphis-based filmmaker, photographer, author and producer. His documentary films include: Visualizing the Blues, The Story of Cotton, A History of Memphis Garage Bands, Overton Park, Elmwood Cemetery, Horn Island Journal, Project 366, The Perea Project, 100 Years of Juvenile Court, and The View From Adams Avenue. His museum projects include The Blues Hall of Fame, The Tunica RiverPark, The Elvis Presley Birthplace Museum, Gateway to the Blues Museum, The Cotton Museum at the Memphis Cotton Exchange, and the Memphis Wonders Series. He is the chairman and a founding member of the annual Delta Symposium held at the University of Memphis. He is the recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Achievement Award in the Creative and Performing Arts presented by the College of Communication and Fine Arts at the University of Memphis. Bearden regularly participates on film and writing panels, and presents twenty to thirty public speaking engagements each year. Other honors include the Blues Foundation’s Keeping the Blues Alive Award, and the Paul Coppock Award for Outstanding Contributions to West Tennessee History.
He is the author of four books: Cotton, From Southern Fields to the Memphis Market; Overton Park; Elmwood Cemetery, and Memphis Blues, Birthplace of a Music Tradition. Bearden is also a 35 year veteran of the live event production business. He has produced the Blues Music Awards since 1998, the inaugural Memphis Music Hall of Fame, and the Mississippi Salute to the Grammys since 2007. In the summer of 2010, Mr. Bearden released his first feature film, One Came Home. Bearden grew up in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, in the Deep Delta.
Drew Canale
Drew was born in Memphis attended Christian Brothers High School, Graduated Memphis State, Magna Cum Laude in ’79 and the Law school there in 1981.
Practiced law with Gerber, Gerber & Agee from 81-87 and in 1987 founded Canale Farms where he has since that time served as its president. Canale Farms is located in beautiful Oakland TN.
Dr. Doug Cupples
Dr Cupples holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in political science, and a Ph.D. in history from The University of Memphis. He is active in several national and local historical organizations, and is Secretary of the Shelby Historical Commission. He holds memberships in the Organization of American History, the Southern Historical Association, and the Tennessee Historical Society. He is a member of the editorial board for the West Tennessee Historical Society Papers, and has served as associate editor for the Confederate Chronicles of Tennessee. In 1988 Dr. Cupples received the Colonial Dames in America Award for excellence in American history.
Dr. Cupples serves as Secretary for the Shelby County Historical Commission, and has held the offices of Chairman and Vice Chair. He has a been a member of the West Tennessee Historical society for many years and has held numerous offices in that organization including two terms as president. He is also a member of the American Society of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and the Memphis Chapter.
He served on the University of Memphis President’s Committee for the Chucalissa Archaeological site. Since 1995, he has been a member of the Board of Directors for the Memphis Youth Symphony and a term on the Memphis Orchestral Society Board. In the school year 1996/97, he served on the Parent’s Advisory Board for the Interlochen Arts Academy at Interlochen, Michigan.
Dr. Cupples has been an adjunct faculty member of The University of Memphis Department of History (1994) and Christian Brothers University Department of History and Political Science (1990) for many years, and he joined The University of Memphis as a full-time instructor in fall 2002 through 2011 after a forty year career in health care. He taught courses in American History and World Civilization, U.S. Military History, National Security Issues, and Tennessee History and Civil War and Reconstruction.
Research interests include Memphis Civil War and Reconstruction History and local culture and artistic history. In addition to research on mid-nineteenth century America, Dr. Cupples is currently undertaking an oral history project on Memphis/Mid-South art and art education and the Vinson-Owen figure skating family of Winchester, MA. He is also an active photographer and artist. He is married to Connie Cupples, PhD.
Dr. Simone Delerme
Cultural Anthropologist
McMullan Associate Professor of Southern Studies and Anthropology
Simone Delerme joined the University of Mississippi’s Department of Sociology and Anthropology and Center for the Study of Southern Culture in the fall of 2013. She specializes in migration to the US. South, with interests in race relations, integration and incorporation, community development, and social class inequalities. Delerme holds a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in liberal arts from the University of Delaware, as well as master’s and doctorate degrees in anthropology from Rutgers University. Delerme spent her childhood in a Puerto Rican concentrated enclave in Harlem, New York, and later developed an interest in Latin American and Caribbean studies while abroad in Havana, Cuba and Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. Shortly after her time in Latin America, Delerme conducted comparative ethnographic fieldwork among Puerto Rican migrants in Delaware and New York. The research for her first book, Latino Orlando: Suburban Transformation and Racial Conflict, focuses on Puerto Rican migration to Orlando, Florida and the social class distinctions and racialization processes that create divergent experiences in Southern communities. Delerme’s work has been featured in several academic publications, including Southern Spaces, Southern Cultures, and Anthropology News.
Devin Greaney
Devin was born in Memphis TN in 1965. He graduated from White Station and the University of Memphis. He has done numerous stories often focusing on local history for different publications. Some of his local interests include the evolution of downtown, lesser known places with interesting stories and public safety in the city. He can be reached at devingreaney.com.
Tricia McMillian Gully
Researcher, Editor
A lifelong Memphian, and Catholic school educated, Tricia attended Memphis State University, then University of Memphis, where she studied Fine Arts, Communications, and History. Her past occupations included a career at FedEx and she is presently owner-operator of Aggie’s Pet Sitting Services. She has worked as an editor and Historical Researcher with Joe Lowry for 24 (and counting!) articles and worked on every podcast.
Jen Canale Ireland
Jen was born and raised in Memphis. She graduated from St. Agnes Academy in 1991 and holds a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Memphis. Jen and her husband, Bobby, have two sons: Nick, a junior at Christian Brothers University, and Matt, a sophomore at Christian Brothers High School. Jen has proudly held the title of “stay-at-home mom” for the past two decades.
For years, Jen has held the unofficial role of her family’s genealogist. With her children getting older, she is able to dedicate more time to her passion for genealogy and the delights in discovering her family’s roles in Memphis’ rich history.
In addition to being a member of the well-known Canale family, Jen’s roots also reach to the banks of the Mississippi River where her maternal grandmother, Ann Young McDaniel (1914-2011), had an impoverished childhood as a “river rat.” In the later years of her life, McDaniel shared the tales of her life up and down the river as a storyteller for the Center of Southern Folklore, touring Memphis schools and festivals where she educated and entertained audiences.
Also, Jen has a deep appreciation for Memphis music history. Both of her sons play in successful Memphis rock bands and her father-in-law, Rick Ireland, held a prominent role at Ardent Recording Studio in the 1970s.
Jen is a valued member of our team as a research assistant.
Ben Jabbour
Legal Consultant
A lifelong Midtowner, Ben spent countless hours with his father at the old Main Library on Peabody and McLean conducting research on a variety of topics. He is a graduate of Christian Brothers and Vanderbilt University where he studied History, Political Science and Spanish language. An avid reader, especially of Memphis historical texts, he believes that history is the best teacher.
Neil Loftiss
Lead Genealogist
Neil is a 6th generation Memphian. A proud graduate of Memphis State University (now, University of Memphis), he worked over 30 years, split between two of Memphis’ Fortune 500 companies, FedEx and AutoZone. He is retired now, living the simple life of tending to his dogs and horses.
He has a special interest in Genealogy, and working tirelessly to add to the Find-A-Grave website, which allows information on burials all around the world. This site is free to all on the internet, and a rich source of information to those seeking information of people from the past. Here in the Memphis area, he has added over 28,000 burial records, most with photos of the headstones. He works with online historical records, through Ancestry, and various city and state records, to add to the memorials that have been created.
Ron McCoy
Fire Historian & Researcher
Born and raised in Memphis, Ronald attended Germantown High School, where he was a vital part of their fine arts program. While at Germantown he won numerous awards, a scholarship, and specialized in video production, as well as publications. Ronald obtained his B.A in English, from Southern Illinois Carbondale. He recently finished his master’s in legal studies.
In 2013 Ronald accomplished his lifelong dream and became a Memphis Firefighter. Quickly after joining the force, he became enamored with the history of the department. He currently holds the rank of Lieutenant Fire Inspector as well as being a Firefighter-Paramedic. Ronald is dedicated to his community and his family. Ronald and his wife Nicole have two children (Quincy & Jada).
Ronald also has a profound love for Blues, with one of his favorite guitar players being Stax’s own Albert King. We value Ron immensely, as we understand the importance of our youth being well versed in the city’s history.
Barry W. Moore
Research Assistant
Barry was born in Memphis and raised in South Memphis and Whitehaven. He spent 30 years working in the Bureau of Environmental Health at the Memphis & Shelby County Health Department where he served in various capacities ranging from urban sanitation, food safety, and groundwater protection. In 1995 he was assigned to steer the health department into the public health emergency preparedness arena partnering with local hospitals, emergency management and first response agencies to develop response plans for acts of biological terrorism. In 2002, Barry was honored by the Tennessee Public Health Association as the “Public Health Worker of the Year” for his contributions to bioterrorism and all hazards preparedness planning for public health.
Barry is a member of the National Environmental Health Association and served as the organization’s national chairman of the Bioterrorism and All Hazards Preparedness Section from 2000 to 2004. In 2007, Barry was appointed to serve on the West Tennessee Seismic Safety Commission as a representative of public health, where he continues his active participation.
In 2009, Barry began to help coach student athletes on the Collierville High School Trap Team. He was Head Coach for the school’s 2012-2015 Scholastic Clay Target Program seasons. He has been a member of the Boy Scouts of America, Chickasaw Council since 1965. He earned his Eagle rank in 1973 and has served as an adult leader in positions including Scoutmaster for 13 years and presently as a District Commissioner.
Barry and his wife, Donna, live in Collierville where they raised their two children.
William Novarese
Resource Contributor
Bill is the Film Archivist at the Fire Museum of Memphis and the Law enforcement Historian in Shelby County.
Carol Perel
Network Contributor
Carol is the Executive Director of the West Tennessee Historical Society, a position she has held for the past 8 years. She is a former teacher, University of Memphis graduate and the former COO of the Cotton Museum.
John Robilio
John is a lifelong Memphian. He graduated in 1968 from Memphis State with a degree in history, immediately started teaching at Christian Brothers High School and received his Masters in History in 1971.
John was on the 1972 committee to re-elect the President and worked in PR and advertising until 1979 when he joined the family business and was an executive at the Victor L Robilio company.
He’s an expert on the second world war focusing on the study of the Axis of powers made up by Germany, Japan and Italy. He’s a published historian and currently working on a study of Fascist Italy in the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s.
Anne Swearingen
Anne was born in Memphis and, other than going away to college, has never left. She grew up in East Memphis. Her parents were among the first home buyers in the Colonial Acres neighborhood, joining dozens of post-World War II couples who then contributed to the Baby Boom. Anne attended Colonial Elementary and Colonial Junior High schools and graduated from Overton High School. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, Miss., and her M.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis.
After moving back home to Memphis, Anne began her career in corporate and employee communications, serving in several capacities at FedEx, the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, and ServiceMaster. Her experience encompasses executive communications, including speeches and presentations, messaging and delivery to various employee audiences, publications writing and production, video and web-based writing, major corporate meeting planning and production, and public speaking.
Anne currently uses her experience and expertise to aid contract clients with their communications needs. She serves as treasurer of the Mississippi University for Women Alumni Association. Interests include reading (currently focused on non-fiction historical), playing tennis and pickleball (neither especially well), and gardening (which mainly consists of weeding and watering).
Jason Terrell
Jason is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and a family historian. He has been doing genealogical research for over 25 years with an emphasis on Native American family research. He served for five years as the Vice Chairman for the Cherokee Phoenix, the tribal newspaper of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and for two years as editor of Ansearchin’ News, the quarterly magazine of the Tennessee Genealogical Society. He is also a member of the Trail of Tears Association, which works to preserve the history of the removal of the tribes from the Southeast. Many of the fine photos on our site are due to Jason’s talent as a photographer. He can also be found on the web at Native Family Research.
Mike Vanelli
Mike is a second generation Italian American whose grandparents on both sides came from the Tuscany region of Italy. He was born and raised in Memphis and attended parochial schools. Went to work for Big John Grisanti while he was a Sophomore in high school then after graduating served in the Navy on both active duty and in the naval reserves.
Went back to work for Big John while attending State Tech and Memphis State where he graduated and began work with Holiday Inns and then FedEx where he retired back in 2014.
He’s a charter member and past president of Memphis chapter of UNICO National Italian American Service Organization, past president of the Memphis Italian Society and a current Member of the Knights of Columbus.
Mike currently works as transportation/logistics consultant and lives in Middleton TN.
Dennis Wolf
Special Projects Researcher
Dennis is a native Memphian and grew up in the Bethel Grove community. He graduated from CBHS in 1974. He graduated from the University of Memphis, Magna Cum Laude, with a bachelor’s degree in fire administration. He has a Master’s degree in fire service leadership from Grand Canyon University.
He worked at Fred Montesi’s-East for 5½ years before he joined the Germantown Fire Department in 1977. Dennis rose through the ranks from volunteer firefighter to fire chief, and served as Germantown’s fire chief and emergency management director for 15 of his 34 years of service. He retired from Germantown and went to work for 10½ years as a fire management consultant for the University of Tennessee’s Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS).
He and his wife care for and ride four horses on their farm in Cordova. Dennis is an avid photographer and enjoys researching Memphis history.