Meet the executive board

Tom Berlucchi serves as the Chairman of the Historic Fort Wayne Coalition, a position he has held since it’s founding. As one of the two founders, Tom also is involved with the Grounds Committee, Events, and the daily running of the organization. Along with his commitment to Historic Fort Wayne, Tom has been employed with the United States Postal Service for 23 years with 21 of them in management positions. He is very experienced in many areas of workplace safety and has lead development our safety plans. Tom serves the City of Detroit as President of the Advisory Commission on Historic Fort Wayne. He served in the Navy from 1979 to 1983 when he was medically discharged due to injuries sustained on Active duty. Tom holds the title of Disabled American Veteran (DAV).   His career at Fort Wayne started in 1974 re-enacting in Loomis Battery. Tom holds a degree in Automotive Technology. You can find Tom around Fort Wayne also Re-enacting as a member of the 7th Michigan Vol. Co. B.  The first and most important role in Tom’s life is that of a husband to Judy and father to his three children: Pam, Mary and Tom Jr. (TJ).

Will Eichler serves as the vice-chairman of the HFWC and is the Chair of the Projects Committee.  In the real world, he is a camera and Steadicam operator.  Before moving to that role, he served as a camera assistant, the manager of the camera department.  It is these skills as a manager that Will brings to the boards of the Coalition.  Will enjoys very much the work that goes into restoration of the Fort and is happy to help the talented restoration experts that make the work we are doing possible.  In the re-enacting world, Will helps Michigan by serving as one of the Union Infantry battalion commanders and is a member of the 5th Michigan Infantry, a group that portrays a regiment that spent 10 weeks at Fort Wayne.  If you visit during living history events you’ll see Will portraying a Union soldier or officer.

Lloyd’s passion for Historic Fort Wayne began in the 1950s, when his parents would periodically take their three sons to the complex on weekends. Lloyd wouldn’t want to leave!  After completing an undergraduate degree in Anthropology, with a minor in Archeology, at Wayne State University in 1978, Lloyd worked in the motion picture post-production area, eventually moving to Southern California in 1978, returning to Michigan in 1988 and gaining employment at St. John Hospital, Detroit, where he currently works as an MRI Technical Assistant. Lloyd joined the Detroit Historical Society in the early 1990s, and helped with several projects at the Fort, including cleaning the Commandant’s House prior to a visit by the Colonial Dames, and also joined the Historic Fort Wayne Home Guard and assisted in working on the Post Theater and Stables.  Once the Coalition was up and running, he immediately became a member, and ran for the Executive Board two years ago, since the Coalition’s Mission Statement coincides exactly with his own vision for the Fort. Lloyd is a Civil War re-enactor, a hobby he began in the early 1990s by joining Church’s Battery D, 1st Michigan Light Artillery.  He now is a member Hudson Battery, as several of its members and commanders are likewise on the Executive Board and participate in most Fort activities.  In addition to his American impression, Lloyd has also been delving into British Victorian Military reenacting, with impressions for the 42nd Black Watch, 93rd Sutherlands, Royal Artillery, and Royal Horse Artillery.  He eagerly looks forward each campaign season (what re-enactors call the spring and summer) to combining his love for the Fort with his reenacting activities.

Ric Julian serves both as a member-at-large on the Executive Board as well as a member of the Grounds Committee.  Ric served in the United States Army as a Spec 4 and was honorably discharged.  He has had a long-time passion for the artillery branch of service.  He is very active in Civil War re-enacting, serving the National Civil War Artillery Association as an Instructor in Region 8.  At home in Michigan, he is the commander of the 2nd Michigan, Hudson Artillery.  Ric has been instrumental in promoting safety in the hobby by teaching safety classes to other re-enactors.  As a general handyman, you’ll never know where Ric will pop up helping restore the Fort during workdays.  He is married to Doris, our Secretary.