The ESTLHS is governed by a 17-member Board of Directors. The board meets regularly on the second Tuesday of each month.
The Hon. Walter Brandon (ret.)
President
Jasmine Mosely
Vice President
Billie Gioria Turner
Secretary
Ellis Conley Davis
Financial Secretary
Dr. Andrew Theising
Treasurer
Directors:
Leverne Backstrom
Andrew Bailey
Jerome King
Prof. Tiffany Lee
Redina Medley
Dr. Lillian Parks
Dr. Reginald Petty
Dr. Treasure Shields Redmond
Norman Ross
Lorenzo Savage
Dr. William Shannon
(one vacancy)
Jaye Willis
Executive Director
OUR EMERITI BOARD
Honoring those who served the Society in its formative years:
Sundra Brown
Laninya Cason, Esq.
Zack Chike
Lonnie Davidson
Robbie Nicholson Edmond
Bob Gill*
Jerome Harris
Dorene Hoosman
Danielle Huff
Eugene B. Redmond
Darlene Roy*
Natavia Sanders
Paulette Shipp
Bestine Tourajigian
*deceased
We have seven committees that do the work of the organization. We welcome members and volunteers for any and all of these working groups.
Finance and Budget Committee: oversees the fiscal operations of the organization and audits the work of the treasurer and financial secretary.
Fundraising Committee: facilitates fundraising opportunities for the Society and its projects.
Membership Committee:
recruits new members, coordinates volunteers, oversees related publicity, and makes board nominations.
Property Management Committee:
Oversees the various property of the Society, including artifacts, leased space, and the management of the 1886 Lincoln School. (Jerome King, chair)
1917 Commemoration Committee:
Oversees the Society's activity relating to the 1917 Pogrom, ensuring regular recognition, arranging tours of Sacred Sites, and producing informational materials. (Tiffany Lee, chair)
Historic Preservation and Landmarks Committee:
Oversees the Society's interest in marking or recording historical events in the community (signage, oral histories, community activities). (Andy Theising, chair)
Education Committee:
Works with schools and educational institutions to provide programming, guest speakers, public communication around the area's history.
Dr. Reginald Petty has long pushed for the creation of a historical society for East St. Louis, his hometown.
Dr. Petty has produced several volumes of historical materials, and has published several books. He is a walking encyclopedia of local history!
He was active in the Civil Rights Movement as a member of SNCC. There, he worked with great leaders like Dick Gregory and John Lewis. He held several federal positions in the 1960s and 70s, representing the USA abroad.
He was honored most recently by Southern Illinois University Carbondale (his alma mater) with a Doctor of Humane Letters degree in 2025. The State of Illinois honored him with the Order of Lincoln.
He is married to Edna Patterson-Petty, a wonderful creative force in her own right. They reside in East St. Louis.
His biography was published in 2022, The Pandemic Prophet by Jaye Willis.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.