The Fort Miles Historical Association is managed by a very active board of directors. Many of the board members continue to be active in their chosen professional and business lives, in addition to serving the FMHA. As you read the biographies, you will gain a sense of what drives this group of dedicated individuals to devote more than 17,500 volunteer hours annually to the growth and development of FMHA and The Fort Miles Museum.
Jeff retired from Xerox Corporation in Rochester, NY after a career that spanned over 40 years at the company. During the latter part of his career, Jeff acted as the Negotiations Manager for State, Local and Federal Government contracts with responsibility for contract bidding through to negotiating final contract terms and pricing.
Jeff holds degrees in History and Economics from Upsala College and in 1969 graduated from the U.S. Army’s Officer Candidate School. He served in Vietnam with the 63rd Signal Battalion, I Corps and was in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1972 – 1981 as an Armored Calvary Company Commander and Mechanized Infantry Battalion Intelligence Officer.
Upon moving to Delaware in 2013, Jeff has been active in a number of community activities including Fort Miles Historical Association (“FMHA”), Lewes Historical Society and Sussex County Habitat for Humanity, among others.
Jeff currently organizes the work activities of the FMHA “Bunker Busters”, is actively involved in the physical restoration and expansion of the Fort Miles Museum and is involved in the FMHA Docent Program. Jeff said he was drawn to FMHA as he was looking for a volunteer organization that was fun, interesting and different. After reading a newspaper article about Fort Miles and the work that was being done in restoring an abandoned WWII coastal artillery fort, it got his second interest and he decided to check it out. After spending three hours touring the bunker and learning a little about it’s history, observing the guys working and joking together, and hearing how much progress had been accomplished during the last five years and how much more they wanted to accomplish…he was hooked and signed up. Yes, and he still finds FMHA to be a fun and interesting volunteer group and organization, and enjoys being able to tell the Fort’s story to first time and repeat visitors. Jeff was elected to the FMHA Board of Directors in March 2019.
Bob Frederick is a co-founder of FMHA and board member for more than 10 years. He was elected mayor and police commissioner in Dewey Beach. During his eight-year term as mayor, Bob was elected by the mayors of other Sussex County towns as president of the Sussex County Association of Towns and the Association of Coastal Towns. During his more than 25 years of public and private service, Bob was president of Dewey Beach Lions Club and was honored by the Lions as a Melvin Jones fellow. He served on the Community Involvement Advisory Council, appointed by the governor, and Beebe Medical Center’s Vision Campaign, which led to construction of an out-patient center. Bob has many contacts in the Delaware legislative community and raises funds for FMHA. Married for more than 25 years, he lives in Dewey Beach.
Jim Pierce is a former Army field artillery officer. He became interested in Fort Miles after taking a tour in 2010. He says: “Fort Miles is important to me because of the authentic nature of the museum that has been created, and the historical and educational value the Fort Miles Museum brings to the state of Delaware.” During a 40-year career, Jim held several senior management banking and commercial finance positions. He also was executive director of a London-based merchant bank and a managing director of a U.S.-based private equity firm. In 2008, Jim formed a successful consultancy practice, which has helped more than 50 clients obtain financing for their businesses. Jim lives in Millsboro, Del.
Larry Boyer retired from DuPont in 2011 as a chief information officer. He managed projects, implementing global IT cash management and credit solutions. He was recognized for his work in this area with a cover article in Treasury and Risk magazine, a notable industry publication. Larry also serves as board chairman for the Mental Health Association in Delaware. He is a Delaware native who vacationed as a child and adult with his family at First State beaches. Larry recalls watching targets being pulled over the ocean while gun batteries practiced their skills. Those memories stayed with him and, after retirement, Larry volunteered as a Bunker Buster to help restore Fort Miles. He became a board officer and serves as treasurer, using his skills to help FMHA realize its goal of creating a world-class WWII museum.
Barry is a retired Certified Public Accountant who worked in both the public and private sectors, primarily focusing on computer system audit and control functions. Prior to that Barry served in the U.S. Air Force for 3 years. He has been an FMHA member for 5 years, initially as a Bunker Buster supporting the Museum’s restoration efforts and currently the Association’s Treasurer and Recording Secretary, as well as a member of the Fort Miles Museum Board’s Finance Committee. Barry is also a member of a number of other volunteer organizations, including the Sons of Union Volunteers of the Civil War Gettysburg re-enactors unit.
Ed has been a member of FMHA since 2019 volunteering as both a Docent (tour and event guide) and as a Bunker Buster. He has over 40+ years experience in the Human Resources field as a trainer and held a number of mid and senior management positions during his professional career. Ed currently heads our new Docent training and certification program, as well as being responsible for updating and maintaining the Docent tour script. He is also one of the Museum’s primary presenters and a tour leader. Ed is an avid WW II history buff and never misses an opportunity to learn something new about WW II or Delaware’s contribution to the war effort.
Tom has been a FMHA Member since 2016 and contributes numerous volunteer hours to FMHA activities yearly. He currently leads our Bunker Buster electrical team, is one of our Docent team tour leaders and is on the Operations Committee of the Ft. Miles Museum Board. His prior work experience includes senior management positions in the Health Care and health insurance industry, and as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Pennsylvania for 17 years. He has also held leadership positions on numerous county, state and national professional, trade and non-profit organization boards. In addition to FMHA, Tom volunteers with the Friends of Cape Henlopen State Park Bike Barn Lending Program, the Historic Lewes Farmers Market and the Villanova Club of Delaware.
Terrance McGovern has authored seven books and numerous articles on fortifications, four of those books being for Osprey s Fortress Series (American Defenses of Corregidor and Manila Bay 1898 1945; Defenses of Pearl Harbor and Oahu 1907 50; American Coastal Defenses 1885 1950; Defenses of Bermuda 1612-1995).
He has also published 12 books on coast defense and fortifications through Redoubt Press or CDSG Press. Terry was Chairman of the US-based Coast Defense Study Group and continues to be a long-time officer. He has also been the editor of the Fortress Study Group annual journal, FORT.
He is a director of the International Fortress Council and the Council on America s Military Past. He can be contacted at tcmcgovern@att.net
Joe Johnson is owner of Shore Electric. He holds a master electrician’s license in Delaware and in Cecil, Montgomery, and Anne Arundel counties in Maryland. Joe moved from Claymont, Del., to Lewes in 1979. He has a longtime interest in Cape Henlopen State Park and the fort. In 2006, he joined FMHA and has dedicated time, expertise and materials to help restore Battery 519 and add lighting to the Artillery Park. Joe and his wife, Karla, have extensively explored the buildings and bunkers that made up Fort Miles during World War II. When working on his initial project to restore light and power to Battery 519, Joe began to look toward the vision of opening the Fort Miles Museum, which occurred in 2016. He looks forward to further development of the museum as an FMHA board member. Joe and Karla live in Milton, Del.
John Roberts is a leader of the Bunker Busters. He describes his history with Fort Miles. “I am a native Delawarean. I’ve been coming to the beaches here my entire life. I had an uncle in the Army, a colonel at Aberdeen Proving Ground and other facilities around the world. His family would vacation at Fort Miles when it was the recreational facility of Fort Meade.
“At the time, the Fort’s WWII activities had ended only 20 years earlier and nearly everything was still there, except for the artillery. When I was old enough to drive, I would visit Cape Henlopen State Park and explore … being careful to leave no evidence of my presence. I did this for many years. After a lucrative career in the semiconductor industry, I retired in 2008. Some years earlier, I met Lee Jennings, who was then the historian for Delaware State Parks, and was excited about the creation of the Fort Miles Museum. Looking for something to do, I took the initiative of working on our searchlight and later drying out its parking place, Battery 519. One thing led to another, and soon we had a following. The rest, as they say, is history. I am most proud of attracting an incredible array of talented people. We would be lost without these fine volunteers. It will be even more exciting to see what tomorrow brings.”
Cliff is a retired federal employee with more than 30 years of experience in police, security and investigative work. He was employed by six agencies during his career, including the Supreme Court of the United States and the Office of the Naval Inspector General. Cliff is a native of the Washington, D.C., area and holds two degrees in military history from University of Maryland. He built a home in Lewes in 1992 and moved there full time after his retirement in 2007. In addition to his association with Fort Miles, he continues to do security consulting and contracting with the U.S. government.
Will is a veteran of the elite United States Navy Nuclear Submarine Service. His 11½ year career with the Navy included seven deterrent patrols on a fleet ballistic missile submarine, three years as a nuclear prototype instructor and 2½ years at Electric Boat shipyard as a member of the pre-commissioning crew of a nuclear fast attack submarine.
Following his 11 ½ year Navy career, Will spent 25 years as a field engineer, manager and executive for several different technical services firms serving the commercial power industry and the Department of Energy. In 2002 he made a career change and went to work in the Clerk’s office at the Washington DC US District Court and then migrated to the risk management department at Well Fargo Home Mortgage in Frederick, MD. In 2008, Will moved his family from Frederick to Lewes, DE when he was hired as the Chief Financial Officer of a local business services firm.
Will retired in 2014 and joined FMHA as a bunker buster shortly thereafter. He completed Fort Miles docent training in 2016 and was elected to the FMHA Board of Directors in April 2017. Since the summer of 2017 Will has served as docent program manager and FMHA volunteer coordinator for Fort Miles’ special events. He also serves on the Fort Miles Interpretation Committee whose goal is to ensure exhibits, programs, and infrastructure decisions align with the museum’s vision, mission and values.
Will also volunteers as a day manager at the Rehoboth Beach Community Resource Center, whose mission is to help those in need throughout the Cape Henlopen School District. Additionally, he serves as a Trustee for Rehoboth Beach VFW Post 7447.
