Up and Coming

Robinson's Battery is dedicated to preserving and honoring the past while endeavoring to make past events relevant to today.  What happened during the Civil War years continues to affect our country.   As George Santayana said, "Those who forget history are condemned to repeat it." 

We are grateful to have several young adults as members of the Battery and want to showcase them here.  They represent not only the future of our hobby, but more importantly, the future of our country.  Let us hope that the lessons hard learned by our ancestors can help all of us make positive contributions as we move forward.

Alexander Bacik

Matushka Maria and Lawrence Bacik are excited that their son, Alexander, recently graduated from Galesburg - Augusta High School with the distinction of high honors and was featured in the Kalamazoo Gazette.  Click on his name to read the entire story. They were absolutely thrilled that he graduated 12th in his senior class! We, too, are proud of this Battery member - congratulations, Alex!

Anna Rusk

Anna will be continuing her study of American history and museum studies at the University of Delaware, as a Hagley Fellow. She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in history and a minor in museum studies from Beloit College in the spring of 2008. Anna graduated with departmental honors, was the recipient of a history department prize and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.  

American history has been an interest of Anna’s for most of her life. She began Civil War reenacting when she was 8 years old and that activity quickly became the most highly anticipated event of the year. Anna received her Gold Award (highest award in Girl Scouts) by designing a curriculum and materials for children to accompany “Liberty on the Border,” a traveling exhibit at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.  

During Anna’s junior year at Beloit, she was chosen to participate in “the Gettysburg Semester” at Gettysburg College. She enjoyed the intense study of the Civil War and toured many battle sites in addition to serving an internship at the Shriver House Museum.

Caleb Chapman

Caleb Chapman of Boy Scout troop 344 has achieved the rank of Eagle Scout which is scouting’s highest honor. Among the requirements for Eagle, a scout must earn a total of 24 merit badges and plan and complete a community service project totaling at least one hundred man-hours. Caleb built and installed five wooden benches and some trail marker signs at Brooks Nature Area of Marshall. His project was completed in the fall of 2007.  Caleb plans to continue his scouting career, and to date, has earned over 45 merit badges. An Eagle Scout can earn awards called “palms” for every five merit badges earned after attaining his Eagle. 

Caleb has served as Assistant Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Assistant Senior Patrol Leader and Senior Patrol Leader. He also served five years as a Den Chief for Cub Scout Pack 300. Caleb enjoys serving others and helping younger scouts advance. He especially enjoys camping, backpacking and other outdoor activities. This summer he went on the troop’s high adventure trip to Gettysburg and whitewater rafting in Pennsylvania.  Caleb is a home school student and will be a junior this fall. He is also involved in 4H, Civil War reenacting and does summer volunteer work at Binder Park Zoo. Caleb plans to pursue a career involving his love of nature and the outdoors.

Matt Borders

Matt became interested in the American Civil War at age 9 after a  family vacation to Gettysburg. Since then, he's read almost everything he could on the subject. He earned his Eagle Scout rank in 1999 and graduated from high school in 2000.

Matt began participating in reenactments during high school but his participation was hampered when he went off to Michigan State University where he earned a bachelor’s degree in American history  with emphasis on the Civil War and  a double cognate (essentially a minor) in museum studies and interpretation. The summers of 2002 and 2003 were spent at Antietam National Battlefield first as an intern and then as a seasonal employee. He graduated from college in 2004 and reenacted with the Battery that summer.

Between 2004 and 2006, Matt earned a Masters in Historic Preservation focused on battlefield interpretation from Eastern Michigan University. He returned to Antietam as a full seasonal ranger during the summer of 2005. In the fall of 2006 he married Kira Frederick.  He was able to participate in Battery reenactments in 2006 and 2007.

In August 2007,  Ihe took a position with the American Battlefield Protection Program, a branch of the  National Park Service, and has had the opportunity to go to a number of rarely visited and endangered battlefields across the country.

Kyle Haddock

Kyle is serving his country as a member of the U.S. Marines.