Derek Boyd Hankerson, is a faculty member, world traveler, and documentary film maker who has produced 4 films on accurate American history. These films have aired nationally and on PBS. Mr. Hankerson is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a B. A. In government and politics and Webster University with a M. A., in Management and Leadership. He has been actively engaged in government and politics for 38 years. At the age of eighteen, he started his career with the Reagan-Bush 1984 Presidential Campaign in Washington, DC and worked with “Africans- Americans for Reagan-Bush” Mr. Hankerson’s great, great grandfather Rev., J. P. Hankerson, was a free man before the Civil War. He was President of the Florida General Baptist Convention for two terms 1894-1899 and 1903-1909. During that time the Florida General Baptist Convention worked with the freedmen’s bureau to educate the newly freed slaves and poor whites. Rev., J. P. Hankerson and others were instrumental in establishing the Florida Bible Institute, which later became Florida Memorial University located in Miami, Florida. Rev., J. H. Hankerson graduated from the Florida Bible Institute with a degree in Theology. Rev., J. H. Hankerson was one of the first Black Postmasters in the state of Florida and was appointed by President Woodrow Wilson from February 9, 1915- June 10, 1918 as the first Black Postmaster of St. Johns County. St. John’s and Escambia county were the first counties established in Florida on July 2, 1821.

Helene Herman retired as President of a 400-member lifelong learning club in Florida that evolved from Brandeis Women. She lectures on a variety of historical and cultural topics. Herman has more than 30 years of executive-level experience in global marketing for a variety of American manufacturers in diverse product areas. She earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from NYU; her background in cultural anthropology was instrumental in putting her on the path to her marketing career and her career as a Lifelong Learning lecturer.

Jeff Hessel, BS Mechanical Engineering, is a graduate of City College of New York (CCNY). He continued his engineering studies at University of Michigan and NYU. Upon graduating in 1968, he worked at Cape Canaveral during the height of the Space Race and the time of the Apollo Program. He has presented to numerous communities and organizations about this topic. He is currently working on a book recounting the early days of Cape Canaveral.

For more than six decades, History Fort Lauderdale has brought the stories of our diverse community to life through engaging educational experiences, innovative cultural exhibits, researchand preservation of artifacts. We invite you to explore the significant and inspiring people, places .and events that shaped our past and continue to influence the future of our vibrant city.

Rod MacDonald, guitar/vocal, has ten CDs of his songs, plus ”A Few Dylan Songs‘ with Big Brass Bed, as heard on WLRN. He performs frequently in South Florida, North America, and Europe and is a lifelong devotee of popular songs. An instructor with FAU Lifelong Learning since 2006, his current series is Music Americana. Bill Meredith, drums, is the backbone of several Palm Beach County rock and roll bands, including Big Brass Bed and Illumination. He’s toured throughout the US and Canada and appears on over a dozen CDs. Brad Keller, piano, has toured with Maynard Ferguson and The Ink Spots, played the Montreux Jazz festival, and written the jazz instruction book used by many county schools. Doug Lindsey, bass, performs with the Mario LaCasse Band and several Palm Beach County groups. Mario LaCasse, lead guitar, playing roots, blues, or jazz, has refined his sound as a member of Misbehavin, Flight, the Mario LaCasse Band, Lowdown 13, and the NattyBos, Groove Merchant band, and Copland Davis.

Anette Isaacs, M.A. born and raised in Germany, received her academic education at Emory University in Atlanta, the University of Vienna, Austria, and the Free University in Berlin and earned master's degrees in history, political science, and American studies. She now lectures extensively on more than 40 different topics pertaining to her home country's history, culture, politics, and society.