STAFF BIOGRAPHIES

Dr. Quinton Wacks is a native of Lee County Virginia.  He has done doctoral work in counseling psychology at the University of Tennessee and in Adult Education at Virginia Tech.  He holds a graduate certificate in gerontology from Florida State University.  Dr. Wacks is director of the psychology program, professor of psychology and coordinator of the gerontology program.  He has worked with Elderhostel since 1986 as campus coordinator and as faculty, teaching courses:  Life After Death, Soul-making, Meditation and Mysticism and Guided Autobiography.  He has published in academic journals in psychology, gerontology, thanatology and adult education and has received various awards such as the Lincoln Award for outstanding professional achievement, the Houston Award for excellence in teaching and the Alex Haley Award

Mr. Dean Henson hails from Powell County, Kentucky.  He has worked as a naturalist at Pine Mountain since 1994 after having served for seven years in other Kentucky Parks including Natural Bridge, Cumberland Falls, Pennyrile Forest, Fort Boonesborough and Lake Barkley.  He earned multiple bachelor's degrees from Eastern Kentucky University in natural science, anthropology and psychology and holds minor degrees in photography and music Performance.  His primary work objective is the interpretation of the scenic, natural and cultural history aspects of the state park and mountain region to the public.  As a natural and cultural history writer/photographer, his photos and articles appear in newspapers and magazines  He has taught the natural history course for Elderhostel for the last four years.

Mr. Steven Wilson was born in Springfield, Ohio, and grew up in Wisconsin.  He holds a Masters of Arts in Historic Preservation from the University of Tennessee and is a graduate of the Seminar for Historical Administration of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.  A consultant in museum operations, he was the first museum professional from Tennessee to attend the Winedale Museum Seminar of the University of Texas at Austin.  A former research assistant for Alex Haley, Mr. Wilson continues to write on a regular basis and his other interests include 19th century military history and American motion picture history.  He is currently assistant director and curator of the Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum. His Elderhostel courses include Abraham Lincoln, the American Civil War and Hollywood looks at the West.

Dr. Rebecca Vial was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and received her Master's Degree in History at the University of Tennessee.  She recently completed Ph.D. History course work at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.  Vial has worked at seven National Park Service areas, Historic Rugby, Inc., and taught American History at Lincoln Memorial University, Southeast Community College, and the history of the National Park Service at Walters State Community College.  She has published in various journals and the Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture, and has presented papers at academic and government conferences.  Ms. Vial is currently a Park Ranger, Division of Interpretation and Resource Education, a Cades Cove, in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.