President –
Preston J. McEvoy
Preston serves as president of Friends of 5002, Inc. Preston has been working on trains for the last 7 years and surrounded by historic preservation nearly his entire life. He has assisted in the creation of three now thriving railroad related nonprofits and sat on several boards of directors in official capacity. Preston has been nominated as a "Hometown Hero", for citizen of the year, and his restorations have been featured in multiple publications. Currently he operates The Loyalists Garage in rural Pennsylvania where he restores classic cars. Preston first saved 5002 from an uncertain fate in 2015. He has served as President of the friends group since inception.
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Vice President/Secretary – Rachel Schumann
Rachel has been around trains her entire life as her father was an engineer for the Chicago Northwestern railroad. In 2015 Rachel became the manager of STSllc, a trucking company out of rural Minnesota, that specializes in moving rail bound equipment. Rachel has helped many historical pieces of equipment get to their new homes to start restoration and to help preserve rail history. Rachel and STSllc were an integral part of moving the USATC 5002 from PA to her new home in Baraboo, WI.
Chief Mechanical Officer –
Gary Bensman
Gary has been a professional steam mechanic since 1978. He has had a hand in some of the most visible restorations and locomotive rebuilds in the last 30n years. His resume includes 0-6-0 #3, Jackson OH (now at Steam Town Baldwin #26), 1988-Reading 2100, 1989 CMO Grand Canyon Railway, and he is and has been the CMO/Crew Chief/and Manager of Standard Practices on multiple large Mainline operating Steam Locomotives
Director of Military Railroad Operations –
William (Billy) Grimes
Billy is the Railway Operations Supervisor at joint base Langley Eustis. In this Capacity he is responsible for the day to day operations of the Military Railroad at Ft. Eustis. He has worked there since 2008 serving as a brakeman, conductor, engineer, mechanic, and Supervisor. Billy's interest in trains began at an early age growing up in England, and throughout his childhood he often visited the nearby Didcot Railway Centre. In 2004 Billy began volunteering with the Old Dominion Chapter, National Historical Railway Society, acting as a car host during train excursions over the Buckingham Branch Railroad in Dillwyn, Virginia. He later when to work for the Buckingham Branch as a conductor in Charlottesville, Virginia. Billy volunteers at the US Army Transportation Museum at Fort Eustis, Virginia, participating in living history events and reenacting periods from Korean War to post Vietnam. He is the owner of a military Willys Jeep which is used for reenactments and parades. Billy also serves as a board member for the Lee Hall Train Station Foundation in Newport News, Virginia.
Director of Marketing/Treasurer Protem– Aimy Stemig
Aimy is a brand and marketing strategist who has partnered alongside companies like Xerox, Allina Health, and Office Max for brand recognition. For almost a decade Aimy has had her own successful in home child care business. Aimy is also an accomplished artist. She has been awarded “Best In Show” within the last several years at local art shows. For the last few years she has worked alongside a local not for profit in Minnesota to help support local K-9 Handlers. Aimy holds a degree in Graphic Design. She has extensive experience with Java and HTML for web presence as well as other online platforms. In her free time she is passionate about cars and trains, and is very proud to be one of the 5002 “Ladies of Steam” training to be a fireman.
Curator/Head of Educational Outreach –
Corrie Hackbarth
Corrie is an Activist and Librarian who works with and cares for archival items, photographs and objects at the Lake Superior Railroad Museum in Duluth, MN. Corrie believes that caring for collections items, whether they are paper documents, photographs, oral histories or 3D objects is a way to make sure the stories of the past are saved for future generations to learn from.
Corrie works with the Minnesota Digital Library Operations Committee and Glensheen, the Historic Congdon Estate, Collections Committee. She has also volunteered as a National History Day Judge for the last few years, volunteers with the collection at Glensheen, spent several years volunteering at the St. Louis County Historical Society in Collections and she spent a year on the selection committee for projects admitted to the Minnesota Digital Library.
Corrie holds a dual major in Political Science and History from the University of Minnesota at Duluth, she also holds a Paralegal Certificate from Minnesota Paralegal Institute, Post-Baccalaureate. She attends Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums, and Minnesota Association of Museums annual Conferences as way to learn and network with history professionals.
Volunteer Coordinator/Assistant of Education Outreach – Joey Ferrito
Joey is honored to serve as Volunteer Coordinator for the Friends of the 5002. Joey is a volunteer with several steam preservation organizations and believes that the key to any successful locomotive restoration is finding talented people and giving them both the tools and the knowledge to accomplish an organization’s goals. Joey holds a Bachelor’s degree in History as well as a Master’s degree in Curriculum & Instruction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and currently teaches high school social studies in a small town in southern Wisconsin.