JIM HINCKLEY
Jim Hinckley is an internationally acclaimed author, lecturer, historian, tour guide, and tour development consultant with three primary areas of expertise; Route 66, the American southwest and the American automobile industry between 1885 and 1980. His portfolio of published work includes fifteen books, and more than five hundred feature articles for a wide array of publications inclu
JOE SONDERMAN
Joe Sonderman is a Route 66 historian, collector, and author with more than a dozen books to his credit, most of them on Route 66 history. He is also editor of the Route 66 Association of Missouri's quarterly magazine, Show Me Route 66, for which he writes many articles, and was also a long-time regular contributor to the international publication, Route 66 magazine. Joe is an avid co
BRENNEN MATTHEWS
Bio:
Brennen is the Editor for ROUTE Magazine, the nation’s leading classic Americana, Route 66, and road travel magazine. He has been a senior editor with leading magazines for more than a decade and an award-winning travel writer for more than 20 years. He regularly works with iconic actors and musicians for ROUTE and has found a connection to Route 66 and/or roadside America.
Bre
BILL THOMAS
Bio:
In June 1963, Bill Thomas and his family headed out on Route 66 from Central Illinois in their new Chevy Bel Air station wagon on a vacation trip to Disneyland. They stayed in small motels, ate at mom and pop cafes [or had bologna sandwiches kept cold in the Scotch cooler], enjoyed no seat belts, and endured no air conditioning. The trip made an impression. Nearly 60 years later, B
CASEY CLAYPOOL
Bio:
Casey is the Executive Director of the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway and has led the organization since March of 2020. Casey is a 1998 graduate of Western Illinois University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management.
Currently, Casey is a member of Illinois Women in Leadership, the co-chair of the Route 66 Monarch Flyway Initiative, and heads the 100 Ext
TOSHI GOTO
Bio:
Toshi grew up in Japan but has lived in the US for 30 years. He loves to travel and has visited 47 states and 45 US National Parks, and has traveled Route 66 since 1996. In 2015, he formed and organized the Route 66 Association in Japan to provide up-to-date information and a friends network to make travel easier, safer, and more meaningful for Japanese travelers. Professionally, Tos
HEATHER PAXTON
Bio:
Heather N. Paxton began doing research for Stephen Fried in 2005, when he was writing Appetite for America. From that time forward, everything related to Fred Harvey has been of interest to her.
At the Fifth Annual Fred Harvey Weekend in 2016, held at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe, Heather was a member of a panel discussion on researching Harvey Girls, along with Cole
DAVID CLARK
Bio:
Since 2006, David Clark, the Windy City Road Warrior, has presented PowerPoint programs on dozens of historic subjects, including Route 66, the Lincoln Highway, and Chicago Railroad stations.
Dave is the author of Exploring Route 66 in Chicagoland, the award-winning book “that remains the definitive work about the Windy City and Route 66” according to route66news.com. His book for Ar
Pictured: PENNY BLACK & GEOFF LADD, ROUNDTABLE MODERATORS
PENNY BLACK, ORGANIZER & MODERATOR
I’ve been traveling since ‘62 when my Pop, in the Navy, relocated us from Illinois to California. We would travel back and forth every summer via Route 66 to visit family. I’d help Pop navigate and fold maps while my mom and brother slept away the journey. One year, Pop took to the highway leaving 66, liter
BART & DENISE KIMBERLEY
In high school Denise read the book The Grapes of Wrath and became curious about the Mother Road. Bart grew up taking summer road trips and camping with his family and has always been interested in the history of the US.
After we met, we realized that we had a common interest in road trips and traveling Route 66 one day. Our initial exploration of the road began in 2011. W
MIKE & JESS MAY
We have always enjoyed road trips, even before we were married in 1995. We began to explore Route 66 more specifically beginning around 2006, after the Pixar film 'Cars' got our two young children more interested as well. We've traveled Route 66 in all of its 8 states; our home is Las Vegas, Nevada, so we mostly explore the Route in California and Arizona. We enjoy not just the grea
DRIES BESSELS
Bio:
Dries Bessels is an IT architect by trade but his passion is traveling Route 66. He has traveled the entire length of Route 66 14 times, 13 of which were as a tour guide to motorcyclists, some of whom sent their own motorcycles to the US to travel the road. Three years ago, he published the first Route 66 tour guide in the Dutch language. The company that he led tours for closed d
MARIAN PAVEL
Bio:
Marian, of Bratislava, Slovakia, started his career as a journalist in an influential European newspaper. Gradually he matured into the position of a respected journalist in the areas of telecommunication and mobile technology. For more than ten years, he led development digital activities as a senior manager for big publishing houses. In 2017 he left the media business so he cou
JIM LIVINGSTON
Bio:
Jim Livingston has chased a number of careers like a lot of artists, being unaware of what he wanted to do when he grew up. After doing social work, ministry, legal work, retail and even working the line at an airport, Jim started his career as an artist in 2013 doing fine art photography. Since that time he has been widely published and won multiple awards for his art. In 20
BONNIE GAME
Bio:
An avid traveler, Bonnie has explored the length of Route 66 for the past 20 years. She has participated in numerous events, notably the Arizona Route 66 Fun Runs, Route 66 Festivals, Miles of Possibility conferences, as well as supporting preservation projects when the opportunities present themselves.
Bonnie, based in Vancouver, Canada, is President of the Canadian Route 66 Associa
RENEE GRAEF
Bio:
Renée Graef has illustrated over 80 books for children, including the "Kirsten" books (American Girl Collection) and many of the "My First Little House" books by Laura Ingalls Wilder (HarperCollins). Renée's works include books for the Mount Rushmore Society, the Getty Museum and the current "Lulu and Rocky" travel series. She splits her time between Los Angeles, California and Mil
SCOTT R. PIOTROWSKI
Bio:
Scott R. Piotrowski was born near Cleveland, Ohio in 1971. After graduating with a BS in Mathematics and a minor in History, he moved to Los Angeles in 1996 to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Although he did not know it at the time, that move to Los Angeles would be the turning point of his life, not just his career. It was on this trip that he first encounter
LIZ VINCENT
Bio:
Liz Vincent has been named as the new Director of Pontiac Tourism. Liz has worked for the department for 8 years. In that time she oversaw the renovations and opening of the Eagle Performing Arts and Conference Center as the Facility Manager, created the Rockin’ at the River concert series, has overseen several exhibit and museum installations, and has been involved with countless o
Pictured: DEBYJO ERICKSEN & RON ROMERO
RON ROMERO
Bio:
Ron Romero is the Board of Directors Chairman and Founder of "Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66" museum and organization, is owner of Stage Right Productions since 2000. Stage Right Productions is a live event production company that provides sound and lighting for small concerts and corporate events. Ron is an entrepreneur and previous