Biographies

Shane Benz
Washington College
Class of 2016

Hello! I am a third year political science and economics double-major at Washington College. I hail from southeastern Pennsylvania, just an hour northwest of Philadelphia. I hope to leave Washington College headed towards political participation and organizing, with special interest in social equality and citizen participation.

As a founding member of Washington College’s Historical Society, I worked closely with the Starr Center before joining the Oral History team. Beginning work with the Center this fall, I currently serve as a Student Associate, and work closely with other students and faculty in collecting, editing and composing interviews from some of America’s most cherished veterans in and around Chestertown. While they may currently reside on the Eastern Shore, their lives have taken them from small towns all across America, to the battlefields of Europe, to the waters of the Pacific. In collecting their historical accounts, we hope to gain a better insight into the realities of America’s most defining moments. It is an absolute honor and privilege to have this opportunity, and I personally look forward to uncovering the truly amazing stories which have built the nation we cherish today.

Rachel Brown

Washington College

Class of 2016

Hi! I'm a second-year student at Washington College, working towards a double-major in Hispanic Studies and Anthropology, with a minor in Creative Writing. Although my family and I now live in Wilmington, Delaware, I was born and raised in Maryland, and am very thrilled to once again be living in the state with the prettiest flag. On campus, I serve as president of the Spanish and Portuguese Clubs, and am also a committee member of the History Society. I plan on studying abroad in Ecuador in the fall of 2014, taking courses in Anthropology and Spanish and getting to learn about a completely new culture and history. After graduation, I'm interested in exploring several career options, chief among them being a literary translator or interpreter, especially in an international context for a non-profit organization.

I joined the Starr Center as a Student Associate in the fall of 2013, and am greatly enjoying my work as part of the Oral History project team. My long-time interest in history is combined with my fascination for the personal, intimate stories gained by a life well-lived, and consequently I'm very glad to be able to have such surprising, valuable, and rewarding conversations with the veterans we're interviewing for this project. Simply by having lived through it, these people are able to take facts that we learn about on a national or international level and scale them down to the basic human experience, telling stories that truly make history come alive for their listeners.

Molli Cole

Washington College

Class of 2017

Hello! My name is Molli Cole and I am a born and raised Marylander! I am studying towards a major in political science and am a rising sophomore at Washington College. Aside from StoryQuest, I am on the women's rowing team as a coxswain and I am also a sister in the Alpha Chi Omega fraternity. 

I joined the StoryQuest team because I hold a great interest for oral history after being inspired by my GRW teacher, Ted Maris-Wolf. After taking a course in human trafficking and having the opportunity to work with oral history by talking to a survivor of human trafficking, I knew that this summer project would be great for me. Already starting interviewing, I have had the chance to do so much with the StoryQuest program with writing and photography as well. I plan on staying with the program once this summer internship is over to keep collecting the stories of people who will soon no longer be here. 

Nancy Louck

Washington College

Class of 2017

Hello! Spending most of my childhood and teen-hood on the eastern shore, I graduated from Kent Island high school and now am rising sophomore at Washington College. I am undecided on what my major or minor will be, however, I have always been interested in studying psychology, sociology, and genetics.

I joined the Oral History project team this summer of 2014 because I wanted to explore more opportunities that offer experiences with communicating and discovering more about people and their lives. Also, as being someone who was never really so gung-ho about history, I decided maybe a little history story from someone who was actually there to experience a certain major event might spark my interest. I look forward to seeing what I will learn by interviewing with the veterans and sharing their story through our blog.

Nicolle Gamez

Washington College

Class of 2014

Hello! I am a recent graduate of Washington College with a major in Anthropology. Originally born in Iowa I have lived in Maryland for the last 20 years, currently residing on Kent Island. As a non-traditional student my priorities outside the college differ from most students since I am a stay at home mom with a husband and 4 children to care for in addition to academic studies. However, I do feel a well rounded individual should contribute to the college community as well as the community in which they live. During my senior year I became the Treasurer of Lambda Alpha, a National Honor Society for Anthropology, and I continue to regularly volunteer at my children’s schools, athletic and neighborhood events throughout the year.

I became a member of the Story Quest World War II Veteran's project during the summer of 2014. A little unsure of the next career step, I decided to follow my passion for learning about history as well as the individual personal experiences. Each story has a unique place in our local and international history and we at Story Quest are fortunate to hear these accounts first hand. Until now I have associated World War II events with dry dates and facts one would read in a textbook. However, with the added personal touch a new dynamic is created and provides us with a more holistic view of what actually happened as well as the trail that war leaves behind.



Brady Townsend
Washington College
Class of 2017

My Name is Brady Townsend I was born and raised in Harford County Maryland. I am a history major and currently in my senior year at Washington College. I first became interested in Oral History while taking a public history class taught by Dr. Ted Maris-Wolf.  In this class I got the opportunity to practice oral history for the first time as part of my final project. With this experience I was able to see first hand what a unique practice oral history truly is. Oral history appeals to me because it allows us to hear the stories and memories of the individual people who where there, rather then just the politics and battles of the time.   

JR Bauer

Washington College

Class of 2016

Hello! I am a junior attending Washington College working towards a major in history. This is only my second year at Washington, as I started my college career at McDaniel in Westminster. I was born in the Eastern Shore town of Rock Hall in southern Kent County Maryland. I have grown up and lived my entire life on the shore being immersed in a culture that I would never trade for the world.

The main reasons for me in joining Story Quest 2014 were a life long passion as well as a rich family history pertaining to the subject. I have been studying World War Two since I was in middle school. My family history steeped in World War Two experiences. My Grandfather was in the Occupation Force in Japan after the war. My father’s great uncle was in the army and went ashore on D-day and was subsequently captured by the Germans and released in 1945 by the Red Army. My grandmother’s uncle was the ball gunner of a B-17 bomber based out of Italy. Finally my other grandfather was an officer in the reserves state side during the war. But more importantly than all of that is that I joined to help document this important part of our history. One, that is under appreciated by the generations of today and is rapidly disappearing with the passing of its veterans.