meet the Projects Committee

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.

Thomas Steele, a 7 year U.S. Navy submarine veteran, currently serves as the secretary of the HFWC Projects Committee. The son of a 1963 Air Force inductee, he brings his lineage back to recreate the past and help pave the way of the future for Fort Wayne. As a co-founder of the “Sally Port Mess”, a Civil War living history unit, Tom helps bring the Fort to life through historical interpretation and tireless research. As the secretary of the Projects Committee, Tom keeps the flow of information in order. Beyond the paperwork, Tom provides technical leadership during workdays and coordinates paint and material analysis for pending projects.