Chairperson
Patti (Peglow) Airoldi is a lifelong resident of Central Arkansas, making her home in North Little Rock, a suburb of the state’s capitol city. She is mother to a precocious daughter, Tori. By day, Patti is a busy Human Resources Manager with one of Arkansas’s oldest and largest real estate firms. By night, she’s an actor who enjoys working on various theatrical projects at local community theaters across Central Arkansas.
Both Patti’s mother and father were avid genealogists, so a fair amount of her upbringing was spent in various genealogy libraries (do you remember microfiche?) and traipsing around overgrown cemeteries looking for headstones. She still loves when her mother calls with exciting news about some genealogical nugget she found, courtesy of Google or 23andMe. Some of those surprise findings have even prompted trips abroad to Germany, France, and Poland.
When your mother calls to tell you she’s found the small church in a small town in France where your fifth great-grandfather was married and would you like to go visit – the answer is always YES! Patti joined the Chenoweth Family Board of Directors in 2016 at the behest of her mother, Sue Ellen Peglow, who was also serving on the board. Patti has attended bi-annual Chenoweth Reunion/Gatherings since 2010 and loves the social aspect of getting to know and fellowship with ‘relatives’ from all over the world. Patti loves to travel, so she also enjoys seeing and exploring new sites and cities as the reunion location changes from year to year. Patti is a 10th generation Chenoweth (John (1), Thomas 2, Arthur 3, Hiram 4, Arthur 5, Jennie 6, Arthur 7, Charles 8, Sue 9, Patti 10))
Vice Chairperson
Lawra was born on June 27, 1967 in Santa Clara, CA, daughter of Edith P. Chenoweth. She graduated from William Woods College, Fulton, MO and attended graduate school at San Jose State University In California.
After many years as a ‘professional’ swim instructor, Lawra’s husband, Franz, encouraged her to get out of the pool and get a ‘real’ job. Taking this advice, Lawra found herself in the career of a lifetime, planning and implementing technical events worldwide for a major company in the Silicon Valley. After several years of traveling the world, both for her profession and pleasure, Lawra and Franz started their family. With the birth of their son, Ashlyn, she decided to ‘retire’ and take on a new challenge of being a stay at home mom. Abigael has rounded out the family and with an 8 year gap between the kids, Lawra continues to be a busy mom.
After a lifetime in California, Franz’s career brought their family to Dallas, TX. The move created many professional volunteer opportunities for Lawra including a Board of Directors position for a private school and a stint with the Meadows Foundation. Lawra has also been a Board member of the Chenoweth Family Association for many years.
A 6th generation Chenoweth of the “unknown” line, Lawra descends from John1 (b: 1811, Camelford, Cornwall, England), Frederick2, Edwin3, Percy Hudson4, Edith Pearl5.
Treasurer
A first-tier Baby Boomer born in central Indiana, SUE ELLEN (BLESSING) PEGLOW has also lived in Oklahoma, Illinois, Iowa and (briefly) New Jersey, before settling down in Arkansas in 1972. Married in 1967 to a native Hoosier, David A. Peglow, whom she met at Indiana University, they spent some time apart while he served in the Army in Viet Nam, as so many did then.
Sue Ellen was fortunate to be able to spend her time finishing her Master’s Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling at IU while David was gone. He returned from service in 1968, to his auditing position with Brunswick Corporation, which led them, in 1972, to Pine Bluff, Arkansas’ Ben Pearson Archery plant.David and Sue Ellen began their family in Pine Bluff. Patricia was born there, with Phillip following three years later.
They moved to the Little Rock area in 1977, where David achieved his CPA certification and where Penny was born. They have given her five grandchildren, three girls and two boys, all of whom have attended at least two Gatherings. One of her greatest regrets is that David did not live to meet any of his grandchildren – he passed away in January, 2001, after a long illness. Sue Ellen retired from the Arkansas Department of Health/Center for Health Statistics in 2013, having spent 17 1/2 years there and 17 1/2 years at the Arkansas Department of Human Services in policy and contract management. It has been interesting to her to reflect that the greater part of her career was spent in positions that were brand new. Apart from her family and church activities, her passions have always included genealogy, which she began at the age of three, reading and travel. When she found information about the Chenoweth Gatherings on the Internet in 2008 (Fort Wayne, IN), she immediately made plans to attend and has been to all of them since then. She has served as Treasurer of the Association for the past three years. Patti and she are very excited to host the 2020 Chenoweth Gathering in North Little Rock! They hope that you will attend and will find their brand of Yankee-flavored Southern Hospitality to your liking, as well. Sue Ellen is a 9th generation Chenoweth (Thomas 2, Arthur 3, Hiram 4, Arthur 5, Jennie 6, Arthur (Blessing) 7, Charles (Blessing) 8, Sue Ellen 9).
Secretary
Michael Chenoweth was born in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1942. His father, Karl Chenoweth, was a commercial artist and his mother, Rosalind Barrows Chenoweth was a social worker.
Michael, the oldest of five children, grew up in central Indiana, where he attended North Central High School. After high school, he attended Butler University for a year and a half, then moved to Miami, Florida, to pursue his true love, boats. There he attended Miami-Dade College, the University of Miami, and finally Florida International University, where he graduated in 1974 with a BS degree in Environmental Technology. From 1977 to 1981, Michael attended the University of Miami Law School, receiving a JD degree and LLM in Estate Planning. Michael opened his own law office and represented a variety of clients, including many environmental organizations.
Most of his current legal work is advisory. Along the way, his education was interrupted by the US Army, which decided he should be an officer in the Corps of Engineers. His military career included infrastructure construction in Thailand in the 1960s during the Vietnam War, disaster management in the Southeast United States in the 1990s, starting after Hurricane Andrew, and as the senior military environmental officer in Bosnia, Croatia and Hungary in 1996 and 1997. Michael retired from the US Army Corps of Engineers in 1998 as a Lieutenant Colonel. Michael is on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the Chenoweth Family Association. He lives with his wife, Pamela Pierce, in Key Largo, Florida. His Chenoweth genealogy is John (1), John (2), Absolum (3), Absolum, Jr. (4), Ephriam B. (5), Clinton Lafayette (6), James Ephraim (7), Karl Marx (8), Michael (9). Michael is the secretary of the Chenoweth Family Association.
Member-At-Large
Joshua was born in 1979 in Economy, Indiana. Joshua graduated from Tri-State University (now called Trine University) located in Angola, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana with a degree in Actuarial Science. At Ball State Joshua met his wife Rebeckah. They have been married since 2012, and have two daughters, Dorothy who was born in 2017, and Pearl who was born in 2020.
Joshua works in electronic forms programming for Reynolds and Reynolds in Dayton, Ohio. Joshua enjoys road trips, reading, listening to podcasts, running, playing bass guitar, attending church, working on home improvement projects, and pushing his daughters around the neighborhood in their running stroller.
Joshua started on the Chenoweth Family Board of Directors in 2016 at the Indianapolis gathering and enjoys learning about Chenoweth history. He has found the gatherings to be a great time to spend with family members from across the country. Joshua is a 10th generation Chenoweth with a line of John1, Arthur2, Arthur3, William4, William5, Benjamin6, John7, Chester8, Lowell9.
Member-At-Large
Greg Wulker was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1954, and has lived in Milford, Clermont County, Ohio for most of his life. He is a retired plumber and married in 1979 to wife Jan, a retired school secretary. They have two children, Matt (Laura) Wulker, and McKenna engaged to Zach Roe, marrying in Sept 2023. Matt is a police officer, and McKenna is an Information Governance Regional Manager for a large law firm based in L.A. Both reside near Cincinnati. Mckenna was a great help, as she and Greg hosted the 2012 Reunion.
I was bitten early by the genealogy bug, and am now in my 43rd year of this crazy hobby. In 1981, I was elected President of the Clermont County Genealogical Society, and from there, branched out to research my family and my wife’s family, as well as many others in between.
For four years, 1984-1987, I traveled each fall to search my Chenoweth line in Virginia, and West Virginia. I made copies of wills, estate papers, and sought the graves of those to be found. Not having a computer until 1998, all my notes and records were hand written. I started corresponding with Shirley and Richard Harris for about eight years in 1984, when they were living in Hawaii. Shirley compiled the Chenoweth Family History, and after her death, Richard published it. Most of my Chenoweth research at the time I shared with them, and it was published at that time. After several Chenoweth Reunions, it was important to me to correct the errors in my Chenoweth line, so I returned to my research, and began to share everything. I am a descendant of two William Chenoweths who were cousins, ending up in Warren County ,Ohio. Three brothers married three sisters.
John 1 is my 6th, and 7th great grandfather as a result. John 1, John 2, John 3, William 4, Eleanor 5, Joseph 6, Martha 7, Charles 8, Margaret 9 and me. John 1, William 2, William 3, Absolom 4, Joseph 5, Martha 6, Charles 7, Margaret 8 and me.
Member-At-Large
John Wilkins married into the Chenoweth clan through the Thomas branch, his wife being Cheryl C.
Although she was born and reared in Illinois, in line with her Indiana ties their discovery of the biennial gatherings and first attendance was the Indianapolis 2018. John’s in his third year on the Chenoweth Family Association board, having taken part in developing the Media PA 2024 event.
Member-At-Large
Pamela Pierce was born in Miami Beach, Florida. Her father, William Burgess (“Wild Bill”) Pierce, was a pioneer in the automobile industry. Her mother was trained as a nurse at Johns Hopkins University. She is married to Michael F. Chenoweth, the Chenoweth Family Association’s past chairman and current Secretary.
Pamela has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Geography and a Master of Science in Natural Resources Management from The Ohio State University, where she is a member of the Honor Society of Agriculture. She also has a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Miami.
She is a member of Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society. Pamela is also an officer in several civic and environmental organizations and has worked closely with several programs to host international visitors to the United States, from the United States Department of State and Library of Congress, as well as the South Florida Hungarian community. Pamela’s ancestors are Gaelic, coming from Wales on her mother’s side and Scotland on her father’s side. She has visited Cornwall several times and particularly loves the choughs and the coastal scenery.
