Officers and Directors
of the Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia
(2021-2022)
Effective July 1, 2021
Robert "Mick" Bedard, Treasurer & Director
William P. Binzel, Vice-President & Director
Bill Binzel is a native of southwestern Ohio who has resided in the Washington, DC area for the past forty years. A retired attorney, he spent twelve years on the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives, eleven years in corporate affairs in the financial services sector, and ten years with a nonprofit foundation. His undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin is in U.S. History. A life-long student of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, and the Lincoln assassination, Mr. Binzel is also vice president of the Surratt Society (an organization dedicated to the study of Lincoln’s assassination), a docent at the Surratt House Museum in Clinton, MD, and a narrator of the Surratt Society’s twelve-hour bus tours of the twelve-day escape route of John Wilkes Booth from Ford’s Theatre to the Garrett’s farm in Caroline County, VA.
John Ciccone, Director
Susan K. Claffey, Director
Susan Claffey is a three-time past President and Vice President of the Round Table and has held various other positions on the Board other years. Susan also serves on the Board of Directors of the Monocacy National Battlefield Foundation. She is also a past President, Vice President, and board member of the Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington (http://dccivilwarforts.org/) and currently sits on the Alliance’s Advisory Board.
A healthcare non-profit executive, Susan is passionate about all things medical and all things Civil War. She blames her Civil War obsession with growing up in Springfield, Illinois, although her obsession truly blossomed when she moved to the Washington DC metro area. Susan holds B.S. degrees in biological sciences and medical technology and an MBA degree.
Kurt E. DeSoto, President & Director
Kurt DeSoto has previously served as both President and Vice President of the Round Table and has held various other positions on the Board other years. Kurt explains that his love of history was germinated by his high school teachers at Douglas MacArthur High School in San Antonio, Texas, and at Thomas Edison High School in Alexandria, Virginia, and then was incubated by the legendary Professor Michael Foley, arguably one of the best and engaging professors at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. His interest in Civil War history was nurtured when he was invited on a tour of Gettysburg led by member Henry Rivera and then was encouraged to get involved with the Round Table by Susan Claffey.
Kurt is an attorney at the law firm of Wiley Rein LLP, where he represents clients before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other government agencies. He received his law degree at Columbia University in New York City.
Jon F. Willen, Immediate Past President & Director
Jon Willen, M.D. is a retired infectious disease specialist who many know as the guy in the bloody apron at Civil War reenactments. Dr. Willen has put his medical expertise into researching the medical treatment Abraham Lincoln received during his time as President, most notably the actions of Dr. Charles Leale and other doctors who rushed to Lincoln’s aid at the assassination.
Dr. Willen served last year as Vice-President of the Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia and currently serves as the Vice President of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia (http://www.lincolngroup.org/). He is also a docent at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in DC and at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Robert "Mick" Bedard, Treasurer & Director
Mick Bedard retired from a busy Connecticut allergy practice in 2016 and moved to Alexandria, Virginia, to be closer to the Civil War action. He was recruited to the Round Table of the District of Columbia by cousins in law John and Carol Bessette. His love of American history developed during the American Civil War centennial. Hooked then, he has been an avid reader and a re-enactor since 1987 with initially the 5th NH Volunteers and now the Kearsarge Afterguard portraying a naval surgeon.
A Brown grad, Mick received his MD from University of Cincinnati and further specialty training at Burlington, Vermont, and Madison, Wisconsin. He is a past member of the CWRTs in Madison and Hartford. Still a proud member of the Hartford Medical Society, Mick was a long-standing director and twice past president. He has given numerous talks on CW medicine across New England and to three Australian Civil War Round Tables.
William P. Binzel, Vice-President & Director
Bill Binzel is a native of southwestern Ohio who has resided in the Washington, DC area for the past forty years. A retired attorney, he spent twelve years on the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives, eleven years in corporate affairs in the financial services sector, and ten years with a nonprofit foundation. His undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin is in U.S. History. A life-long student of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln, and the Lincoln assassination, Mr. Binzel is also vice president of the Surratt Society (an organization dedicated to the study of Lincoln’s assassination), a docent at the Surratt House Museum in Clinton, MD, and a narrator of the Surratt Society’s twelve-hour bus tours of the twelve-day escape route of John Wilkes Booth from Ford’s Theatre to the Garrett’s farm in Caroline County, VA.
John Ciccone, Director
John's interest in the Civil War began more than half a century ago when he first read Bruce Catton, one of the founding members of the Round Table. Since then, the Civil War has always been a regular part of his studies into various aspects of U.S. history.
Beginning with his retirement in 2016, John volunteered with the U.S. Capitol Historical Society to take donors and their guests on private tours of the Capitol. John explains that work has now ended, sadly, due to the closing of the Capitol because of the pandemic and related changes in the activities of the Society.
John also has had an ongoing interest in photography and video production and editing, which brought him into the fold of the Round Table where he has been editing/post producing its Zoom meetings, which have been posted on YouTube, located by clicking HERE or by visiting youtube.com/channel/UCA6lRYb3u2qCsCwEe3xukHg
While Zoom meetings were thrust upon us by the pandemic, John notes that it has afforded us a unique opportunity to greatly extend our programs to audiences that are truly national in scope. With this comes the opportunity to broaden our membership AND make us more attractive to high level speakers, authors, and publishers eager to reach large audiences. John adds that this is an opportunity that is both exciting and challenging . . . something he is more than eager to pursue.
Susan K. Claffey, Director
Susan Claffey is a three-time past President and Vice President of the Round Table and has held various other positions on the Board other years. Susan also serves on the Board of Directors of the Monocacy National Battlefield Foundation. She is also a past President, Vice President, and board member of the Alliance to Preserve the Civil War Defenses of Washington (http://dccivilwarforts.org/) and currently sits on the Alliance’s Advisory Board.
A healthcare non-profit executive, Susan is passionate about all things medical and all things Civil War. She blames her Civil War obsession with growing up in Springfield, Illinois, although her obsession truly blossomed when she moved to the Washington DC metro area. Susan holds B.S. degrees in biological sciences and medical technology and an MBA degree.
Kurt E. DeSoto, President & Director
Kurt DeSoto has previously served as both President and Vice President of the Round Table and has held various other positions on the Board other years. Kurt explains that his love of history was germinated by his high school teachers at Douglas MacArthur High School in San Antonio, Texas, and at Thomas Edison High School in Alexandria, Virginia, and then was incubated by the legendary Professor Michael Foley, arguably one of the best and engaging professors at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. His interest in Civil War history was nurtured when he was invited on a tour of Gettysburg led by member Henry Rivera and then was encouraged to get involved with the Round Table by Susan Claffey.
Kurt is an attorney at the law firm of Wiley Rein LLP, where he represents clients before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other government agencies. He received his law degree at Columbia University in New York City.
Steve Jaren, Director
Steve is a relatively new member of the Round Table, but has been increasingly involved in its operation. This is his first year as a Director. One of his projects was the creation of the Round Table’s “Civil War History Education/Learning Links," (located HERE or at https://cwrtdc-meetings.blogspot.com/2020/04/civilwar-history-education-learning.html), a timely resource given the pandemic and the need to advise CW history enthusuasts of relevant programming and information available online. Steve has also coordinated the Round Table's membership drive and has welcomed new members via email and, lately, during its Zoom meetings.
Steve retired in March 2020, with both federal and private sector experience in the procurement field. Most of his career was spent as a federal civil servant supporting the U.S. Army. Being a U.S. Air Force “brat,” he does not call one place home.
His educational background includes a B.S. in Business from Indiana University, and an M.S. in Acquisition and Contract Management from Florida Institute of Technology. His interest in the American Civil War started with his father and has steadily increased over the past five years. An area that he hopes to research further is Welsh American involvement in the Civil War; Steve was born in Ireland and his mother was a WWII GI bride from Britain with an English father and a Welsh mother.
Robert M. Hemingway, Director
Rob Hemingway is a native of Raleigh, NC and now resides in Woodbridge VA. He is a graduate of North Carolina Central University. After 15 years as the CEO of an Geospatial engineering and Consulting company, he retired from the private sector. He is currently serving as an Active Duty Officer, in the DC Army National Guard and plans to retire again after serving his Country.
Aside from being an avid Civil War buff, Rob enjoys SCUBA Diving and Cycling. In his spare time, he teaches SCUBA Diving and spoils his two nieces.
Rob has been a member of our Round Table for many years, and is a first-time Director.
Paul A. Mazzuca, Director
Paul Anthony Mazzuca is a licensed professional tour guide and tour director in the Washington, D.C. area. Paul is also a member of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society; the Historical Society of Washington; the Guild of Professional Tour Guides of Washington, DC; and the Smithsonian Associates.Paul has been a member of our Round Table for many years, and became a first-time Director this year.
David B. Rosen, Director
David B. Rosen, Director
David Rosen traces his interest in the Civil War to a drizzly Adirondack afternoon some 60 years ago, when the mother of a close friend chose to attack the threatening prospect of children’s boredom by taking some of the kids to a downtown Glens Falls bookstore. There David was enchanted by the poetry of the title A Stillness at Appomattox, and, after shelling out 35 cents for the paperback, took a deep breath and resurfaced for air only after finishing Bruce Catton’s Army of the Potomac trilogy—in time to be aware of some of the Centennial events and their confused relationship to the Civil Rights movement that was, in effect, the climax of the Centennial.
At Yale, David's interest in the Civil War evolved primarily through being a student and employee—and later a friend—of Robert Penn Warren.
After a career in labor law, ending with 25 years as General Counsel of the Transport Workers Union, AFL-CIO, David, now in retirement, enjoys reading about the Civil War (among other topics), principally the relationship between the War and literature and drama. He maintains a particular interest in opera performance during the War, beginning with Lincoln’s decision to attend Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera en route from Springfield to Washington.
Martha Vázquez, Secretary & Director
Martha is serving her first one-year term as Secretary of the Round Table. She has had a life-long personal and academic interest in history. Martha earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh in Latin American History. She continued to pursue her passion at the University of London, which awarded her a master’s degree in Modern Military History. Martha’s thesis at the University of London was on military death and remembrance, which focused on the creation of the military cemeteries in France following World War I and the evolution of the military monument.
Martha is an attorney at Wiley Rein LLP where her practice focuses primarily on employment litigation. She received her law degree from Washington and Lee School of Law.
Martha has a personal connection to the Civil War both from her time living in Lexington, Virginia, and through her great, great grandfather, George Waddell, who served honorably with the 105th (“Wildcat”) Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers.
Jon F. Willen, Immediate Past President & Director
Jon Willen, M.D. is a retired infectious disease specialist who many know as the guy in the bloody apron at Civil War reenactments. Dr. Willen has put his medical expertise into researching the medical treatment Abraham Lincoln received during his time as President, most notably the actions of Dr. Charles Leale and other doctors who rushed to Lincoln’s aid at the assassination.
Dr. Willen served last year as Vice-President of the Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia and currently serves as the Vice President of the Lincoln Group of the District of Columbia (http://www.lincolngroup.org/). He is also a docent at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in DC and at the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland.
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