Chapter Officers
2019-2021
Bios
I grew up in the Greentown area, graduated from EHS, married David Engle and we had two children, daughter Kathy Maack, a graduate of UW Madison and DAR member lives in Kokomo with her family. Son Scott Engle, lives in NJ with his family and teaches culinary arts. We moved to NJ in 1967 where I graduated from Rutgers with an MSW and worked for private and government institutions. After retiring in 2014, I moved back to Greentown and purchased my family home. I joined the Crane’s Ford Chapter of DAR while in NJ but due to timing, attended my first meeting in Kokomo. I loved working but am happy to have time to be part of the League of Women Voters Howard County Area, Greentown Historical Society, Greentown Research Club and Greentown Main Street Assoc. My daughter and I participated in the 1978 Washington DC march for the Equal Rights Amendment which was a life changing experience. I ran for Greentown Town Council, served one year, ran again and was defeated. My 2nd husband Riley, now deceased, and I have hiked most of the Appalachian Trail. We lived in Imlaystown NJ, which is very near the Old Yellow Meeting House Cemetery Where General James Cox is buried.
I grew up in Kokomo, graduated from KHS and attended two years at Ball State Teachers College I then graduated from Kokomo Business College. While at the business College I met one of the teacher’s brothers, Doyle Beck, and because he was in the Air Force and just learned the service was sending him to Fairbanks, Alaska, we were married I day less than six weeks after we met. (They said it would never last – when my husband died in 1917, we had been married 56 years.) Life in the Air Force took us to Alaska, Southern Illinois, Hawaii, South Dakota and while he was in Thailand, I came home to Kokomo. I started playing hand bells during that year which led to a lifetime love of the instrument. I directed 5 hand bell choirs at Grace United Methodist Church for 30 years and during that time moved up the ranks of American Guild of English Hand bell Ringers starting with Indiana State Chair and ending as National Treasurer for 2 terms. Also, during that time, I returned to college at Indiana University Kokomo and graduated with my degree in Liberal Studies, Humanities with honors. Together with others in the Kokomo area, we started the Kokomo Hand bell Festival which has lasted for 37 consecutive years. Just recently I was hired to direct the hand bell choir at 1st Evangelical Presbyterian Church. I was a member of Altrusa International for several years and held several offices in that local organization. I joined DAR after a difficult time proving my connection to my Patriot, Colonel Zacquell Morgan. During my time with the Air Force, hand bells and family trips, I have traveled to 49 of the 50 States. The only state I missed is Oregon!
I grew up on the family farm in Union Township, Howard County, Indiana. The farm was purchased by my paternal great-grandparents in 1886 and was recently received the 100 year Hoosier Homestead Award. I still reside on the "home place." I graduated from Eastern High School and then attended Ball Memorial School of Nursing in Muncie, Indiana, graduating in 1966. I went on to earn a BSN from Indiana University at Indianapolis in 1971. I returned to college in my 40's and earned a Master's degree in Library Science in 2005. I have worked in hospitals, home health care/hospice and administration during my nursing career which spanned over 50 years. My favorite positions were in public health nursing in Cincinnati, Ohio and in-home health/hospice in the Kokomo/Howard County area. After obtaining the library degree, I worked at St. Joseph Hospital in a consulting role and then as a part-time reference librarian at IUK from 2004 - 2014. I was a VISTA volunteer in Cincinnati, Ohio in the early 70's which is where I developed my interest in health care for the poor and disadvantaged population and in teaching people had to live a healthier life. Since I retired from work I have been active in the Greentown Historical Society, Nurse's Honor Guard, Master Gardening, my church and DAR. I love to read, garden, exercise at the Y and stay active with family and friends.
I grew up in Galveston and graduated from Lewis Cass. And yes, I was a band geek and proud of it! I married my high school sweetheart and love of my life, Ron. We have two children, Kristin, an actuary, who lives in Indianapolis, and Ronnie, also an actuary, who lives in Carmel with his wife and five children. Right out of high school, my husband joined the military. We were stationed in Texas and then in Germany. We had the opportunity to return to Europe with our daughter in 2016 to revisit some of the places we often visited when she was a child. After Germany we returned home and Ron was deployed to Desert Storm. I received my BA in Mathematics from IUK then I began my teaching career at my alma mater. An illness forced me to leave teaching. Currently I am a Realtor for cfd Realty here in town as well as a Mary Kay Consultant. With two jobs and five grandchildren, I am an extremely busy woman. But…I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I was born in Bloomington Indiana while my father was a student in IU Kelly School of Business. I graduated from Western High school in 1981. I have two brothers and two sisters that live in Connecticut, Georgia, and Florida. I have lived in Long Island New York, Kokomo and Brownsburg Indiana, Sandy Hook and Branford Connecticut. I have two sons and five grandchildren. Three are members are Chief Peshewa Society Children of the American Revolution. I have been senior society president since 2014 and a member of General James Cox Chapter DAR since 2008. I am a graduate of Indiana University with a Bachelor in General Studies and also work in the IT department as a web developer. I am married to my husband Patrick who is a graduate of Ball State University. I enjoy genealogy, history, outdoor activities and spending time with my grandchildren.
I was born in Washington, D.C., lived in Dayton, Ohio until I was 3, then grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York. I graduated from Union College in Schenectady, New York with a BS in Math and Computer Science. I met my husband Marty in college and we married during my junior year. We both worked for Bell Laboratories after I graduated and were sent by the company to the University of Michigan for our Master's degrees.
Marty decided to go into teaching college in 1983 and taught at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania and Trenton State College in New Jersey, then Purdue at Kokomo where he was tenured. Our two older children were born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. My father retired from IBM and started his own patent law business. I passed the patent bar in 1995 and continue to work as a patent agent for the company he started, now run by my brother-in-law.
Daughter Melody is a member of our chapter, just married this year, and works as an administrative assistant for the arts department of Lawrence Central high school. Son Timon is a software development engineer for Expedia in Seattle, Washington. Son Yerik is attending Ivy Tech for HVAC and working toward a Personal trainer certificate. Daughter Ariana has just graduated from high school and may attend IUK in the Fall. All four children have been members of the Chief Peshewa Society Children of the American Revolution and I have served as Senior State President.
I am also president of the local chapter of the Colonial Dames of the Seventeenth Century. I enjoy reading, gardening, cats, and traveling. We have been to 49 states and 30 countries. I am in the process of self-publishing a four-volume set of books on my paternal grandfather's family and have started on volumes on the other three grandparents as well as my husband's family.
I have been doing Genealogy for 30 years. I am 2nd Vice-President in charge of publicity; I was also the Secretary for the Howard Co Genealogical Society and a member for 20 years.
I have gone from basic researcher to almost professional; I have helped other people in their research. I am very knowledgeable in locating records. I have been a member of the General James Cox Chapter of NSDAR for 5 years; I was Recording Secretary for 2 years and am now Registrar. I am also on the Volunteer Genealogist Committee and the Genealogical Records Committee. I have helped David Peter & Rev. Rene’ Bouillon, O.S.B. To finish the Andrew Peter Family Book. And I am helping a cousin to finish our Heflin line for publication.
I married to Wayne Luttrell. I have lived in Kokomo all my life except for a few years after college. I went to Ball State University, achieving a Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees in Elementary Education. I taught 19 years in the Kokomo Enrichment of Youth program for gifted students. The rest of the time (17 years) I taught in regular classrooms in Portland, Indiana and Kokomo. My husband was a teacher and administrator in the Kokomo Schools too. He retired in 2003, and I did in 2004. Before becoming a member of our chapter, I served on the Kokomo-Howard County Public Library Board for 22 years. I served as Secretary, Vice President, and most of the time as President. The Russiaville Library, Kokomo South Branch, and the renovation of the Kokomo Main Library were all achieved during my tenure. My other commitments include Friends of Howard Haven Board, Delta Kappa Gamma Teachers Sorority, and Greek Club. I am a member of First Christian Church. I became a member of the General James Cox Chapter in 2007, serving as Corresponding Secretary for several years, now Historian and DAR Schools and Indian Schools chairperson.