2024-2025 Board of Directors
Executive Board
Andy Wendt
President
Born in Middletown, Andy has been a lifelong resident. He is a graduate of the Middletown High School class of 1982 and attended Anderson College as well as Miami University to study Systems Analysis and Business.
Andy was brought up in a small middle-class family, with his mother staying home to raise he and his sister, while his father, Robert E Wendt, was employed by IBM and primarily stationed at the ARMCO General Offices. His family moved from Monroe Street to the east side of Middletown in time for him to attend first grade at Creekview Elementary.
Andy's parents were both descendants of German immigrants whose families moved into Southwest Ohio in the early 1900's to take work in the steel and construction industries.
In 1989 Andy took his first full-time position with CFR Inc., a Middletown-based business technology firm now in with over 35 years of operation. While attending Miami University, and prior to joining CFR Inc, Andy worked for the City of Middletown, Computer Sciences Corporation, and NCR.
Andy has now been with CFR Inc. for thirty-five years and is the President of the company.
Rick Lawson
Vice President
Born in Middletown, Rick is the son of Donnie and Arlene Lawson. Mr. Lawson graduated from Middletown High School in 1981 and is an Eagle Scout. Rick has a History Degree from the University of North Dakota. He works in landscaping and has done so for over 30 years.
Rick Lawson currently serves as the Middletown Historical Society’s Vice-President after joining the Board of Directors in 2012. Over his time with the society, Mr. Lawson volunteers weekly at the Canal Museum and wherever he is needed. He tends to the landscaping needs for the Shartle House, and Rick heads up the rental of the Shartle House venue.
In addition to being involved with the Historical Society, he volunteers with the Middletown Pioneer Cemetery, the Shalom program of Middletown and the HEAL program at Atrium Medical Center, and is a member of the Trenton Historical Society. Rick, DJs weddings and special events.
Deb Morrison - Snider
Secretary
Born December 7, (Pearl Harbor Day), and raised in Middletown Ohio, Deb graduated from Middletown High School.
Deb has served on many Boards and Commissions in the City which include, Past President of the Butler County Ohio Genealogy Society. She volunteered 19 years for the Middletown Area Memorial Day Association with the Memorial Day and Independence Day Parades. She is current Secretary for the Veteran's Memorial Fund located at Woodside Cemetery and has served since 2000 and is the current Chairwoman of the Middletown Cemetery Board.
Mrs. Snider is a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary 3809. and has served on various other boards including Rolling Thunder Ohio Chapter 11 Dayton Ohio, Shaboom’s, Inc. and Friends of the Veterans.
Being on the Veteran's Memorial Committee has allowed her to compile two books: The Men and Women from Middletown who fought and died in the Korean War and The Men from Middletown, Ohio who died in Vietnam. She currently is working on another book about the men who died in WWI from Middletown. Being the daughter of a Korean War Veteran, it has become Deb's passion to make sure they are never forgotten.
Cathy McMonigle
Treasurer
Cathy’s parents, Don and Lee Gillum, settled in Middletown, OH, in the mid-sixties. Her father worked at Armco Steel and ultimately retired from AK Steel. Subsequently, she and her older sister, Lisa, were born and raised in Middletown, OH. Cathy is a 1985 graduate from Middletown High School and a 1989 graduate of Miami University. She is currently the Treasurer/CFO for the Warren County Career Center.
The McMonigle family has a long history in Middletown; and Cathy was proud to raise her children in a house their Grandfather, John McMonigle, built. Through the years, John and his brothers built many homes in Middletown. Additionally, Lawrence McMonigle built the Canal Museum in 1982. And while her daughter, Hannah, chose to attend Mt. Notre Dame, both her of boys, Adam and Heath, continued the McMonigle legacy and graduated from Middletown High School.
After living in Middletown most of her life, Cathy moved to Madison Township in 2021. Faith and family are her top priorities. For this reason, Cathy enjoys hosting family events at her home and spending time with her grandchildren, Hope, Jameson, and Roselie.
Cathy has always believed in volunteerism and giving back to others. In high school she was an active participant in the Middletown YMCA Leadership clubs and was a class officer at MHS. In college she was a member of and President for the Society for the Advancement of Management. As an adult, she became a volunteer for the Make A Wish Foundation as well as facilitating the Family to Family class for NAMI. While working at WCCC, Cathy has been a member of and Past President of the Lebanon Kiwanis. In 2020 she was asked to accept a position on the Board of Directors for MyUSA Credit Union, which began as the ARMCO Steel Credit Union many years ago. She’s excited to accept the role of Treasurer for Middletown Historical Society and play a small part in preserving Middletown’s history for future generations.
Sam Salmon
Past President
Mr. Salmon works in real estate property management for Cushman and Wakefield. He began his career in property management in 2011, focusing initially on residential markets and later expanding into commercial markets. Throughout his career, he has received multiple awards for top sales and top property performance, and he has successfully managed and developed numerous high-quality properties.
In 2011, at the age of 24, Mr. Salmon became the youngest Trustee of the Middletown Historical Society Board of Directors. He later became the youngest serving President at the age of 31. Additionally, he has served as the Webmaster and co-chaired the Annual Fundraising Dinner for several years.
Over the past decade, Mr. Salmon has also served on advisory boards for various community paramedicine organizations.
Born and raised in Middletown, Mr. Salmon is descended from the Doty and Vail families, two of Middletown's founding families, along with other notable pioneer families of Butler and Warren County. He has a keen interest in early Middletown history, particularly its early pioneers.
In his free time, Mr. Salmon enjoys genealogy and traveling. He is working on his Genealogy Certificate the Boston University. In addition, he has completed numerous genealogy projects and is currently writing two books about Middletown's founding families.
Recently, Mr. Salmon started a business called Cincy Ragdolls, LLC, where he breeds the highly sought after Ragdoll kittens for families who appreciate this specific breed.
Trustees
Sam Ashworth
Born in Dayton, Ohio, Sam Ashworth graduated from Eaton High School and from Miami University in 1964 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He was employed in the design department of Armco Steel Corporation for fifteen years, including a three-year term in the United States Army. In 1979, Sam started his own graphic design studio.
Sam served as Executive Director of the Middletown Historical Society from 1998 to 2007 and has served as the President of the Board of Trustees for the Society. In addition he has also served Board Chair of the Butler County Visitors Bureau and was member of the advisory committee of Heritage Hall in Hamilton. Currently, Sam is serving as the Chair of the Bicentennial Committee for the Miami-Erie Canal in 2025.
Timothy Carberry
Born in 1952, in Middletown, Ohio, Tim Carberry was raised near Red Lion and lived on a small farm. He is the son of Edward Carberry and Josephine Linkous. Like many other families in Middletown, his mother’s family migrated from Kentucky when work was not available there and his father worked in the Fabricating Department at ARMCO, shipping nuts and bolts to where they were needed.
A graduate of Springboro High School in 1970 and 1974 Miami University Graduate, Tim was a teacher for the Carlisle School district for many years. His expansive career spanned from 1974 until he retired in 2003. A previous resident of Franklin, Ohio, Tim has resided back in Middletown for over the last two decades and is very passionate about Middletown History.
Jeffrey Diver
Jeffrey Diver has been a Trustee of the Middletown Historical Society since 2002. He has served two terms as President of the Board. Throughout his career, he has actively served on numerous nonprofit boards and committees.
He is executive director of SELF (Supports to Encourage Low-income Families), which is the state-designated Community Action Agency dedicated to helping low-income families become self-sufficient. He has held that post since 1996.
He has been recognized with the Karen S. House Leadership Award for Dedication and Commitment to the Development of Leadership for Regional Collaboration by the West Chester Chamber Alliance in 2005; the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major Award from the Middletown Ministerial Alliance in 2008; the President’s Award from the Middletown NAACP in 2017; and MLK “Purpose” award by the Feed the Hungry Project in 2019.
Before coming back to this area where he was raised, he was the field director of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, based in Washington, D.C. and chaired by the former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D. He and his wife, Angela, have four children. He is a direct descendant of the Doty and Vail families – Middletown’s founding families.
Roxanna Fields
Born in 1988 in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was raised by her parents Jeffery Easterling and Rebecca Williams. She resided in Middletown for the first two years of her life before her father was stationed in Fort Knox Kentucky. A year later the family was relocated to Panama in Central America; where her Father served as SFC E-7. With her father's military career, the family was blessed with many worldwide travels before his 1997 retirement in Fort Polk Louisiana.
Returning to Ohio with family in 2002, Roxanna was a 2007 graduate of Lebanon High School. Following her high school commencement, she attended Miami University of Middletown for her undergraduate program. Since then, she has spent many years traveling extensively with school and career opportunities. . During this time, she has had the pleasure of working for some of the largest global corporations and non-profit organizations. Roxanna has been involved with volunteer work since she was a child and has contributed to the great good through programs including STEM, PETA, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity and countless others.
Ms. Fields returned a few times in her twenties to Middletown for brief stays between her travels. She became a permanent resident in 2020 and recently joined the Middletown Historical Society January of 2023 and is excited with supporting the Society, including implementing a Middletown Junior Historical Society, and looks forward to the preservation of the history of Middletown.
Kayla Hocz
Born and raised in Middletown, OH, Kayla Hocz graduated from Monroe High School in 2008. Kayla attended Miami University in Oxford, OH and graduated in 2012 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science with a focus on History, Economics, and Native American Studies. Kayla took great pride in completing her college coursework, as she eagerly maintained a place on the Dean’s List each semester. After college graduation, Kayla started a position with First Financial Bank in Middletown, OH as a teller. Today, Kayla is the Financial Center Manager for First Financial’s Downtown Middletown Financial Center located in the heart of Downtown Middletown and close to Middletown’s Historic Main Street District. Kayla is proud to serve her hometown’s financial needs, while focusing on the preservation and growth of Middletown.
During Kayla’s formative years, she attended Roosevelt Elementary and then on to Vail Middle School, which contributed to Kayla’s love for history. After losing both historical structures in recent years, Kayla made it a personal goal to join Middletown’s Historical Society to assist in the protection of our historical buildings, and all the stories and memories that lied within. Kayla was welcomed to Middletown’s Historical Society in 2022, and truly looks forward to assisting the Society with her passion for history.
In Kayla’s free time, she enjoys traveling to new places to learn the histories and cultures. Kayla has a true passion for studying history and connecting the dots from past to present. Kayla enjoys spending time with her family, and her Shih Tzus, Roosevelt “Teddie” and Vada Mae Hocz. Kayla also enjoys spending time out in nature, often going on hikes and day adventures with her family and friends. Due to Kayla’s love for her family, passion for history, and all things Middletown, she recently purchased her childhood home in the Sunset Park area and is currently renovating.
Nicki Linville
Mrs. Linville works for Ballard Design Outlet, located in West Chester as a retail sales associate helping customers with decorating needs and advice. Mrs. Linville received her Interior Design Degree from Massey Junior College in Atlanta.
Nicki joined the MHS in 2003 and has served as Trustee and Treasurer. For several reasons, she has always had a love for Middletown and its history due to her family (the Finkelmans) residing here and being a big part of the city's development dating back to the early 1900's when her family immigrated to the United States from Russia.
Nicki spends her free time being creative and enjoying her husband, Randy Linville, her adorable cats, Cookie and Tonto. Even though she has moved from Middletown, it will always be home for her.
Cam Petrocy-Hammond
Cam, an area native, grew up in Monroe and was a LMHS Graduate. Over the years, Mrs. Hammond worked in the legal field as a Legal Assistant for Casper & Casper; Pratt, Singer & Thomas; and Thomas, Botros, Kollin & Schulte, L.L.C. She also was a secretary for the Middletown-Monroe School System. She coached Boys’ Tennis for Monroe High and was a Drill Team Advisor for the Madison High School Marching Band.
Cam is very proud of her family. She has been married to her husband Larry for over forty years and they have two wonderful children: Benjamin and Laura. Her family includes the Ritters, who founded the Ritter Harness & Buggy/Leather Company. Aunt Joan and Cousin Eileen Ritter danced and sang at the Paramount, Strand and Gordon Theaters in Middletown. Later they were members of the Roxyettes and performed USO tours with Bob Hope for the U.S. troops.
Cam served as the Secretary from 2012 to 2023 and served as the Facebook Administrator for the Historical Society, joining the Board of Directors in 2012. She championed the Facebook page getting just shy of 10,000 followers in her time serving as Administrator.
Jim Stabler
Apart from 2014 and 2023, Jim has been on the Board since 2008. He served two years as Vice President and two years as President of the Society.
Jim has been a Docent since 2000, after "retiring" from a career of 25 years in Industrial Television/Communications industry. After 4 years in the US Army Security Agency, he was employed by Armco for 14 years and then NCR for 15 years. Currently, he volunteers at the Middletown VA Clinic and with our Society as part of the archiving team. Mr. Stabler has also served on the Citizen’s Advisory Board for the Middletown Police Department and the Historical Commission through the City of Middletown.
As a lifelong resident, Mr. Stabler loves all of Middletown history, and what he enjoys most is researching to identify and date old Middletown and Armco pictures and memorabilia.