[LIBERTY BELL MEDIA BRIEFING]{.underline}

*Speakers' Biographies*

Steven Arms, President\
MicroStrain, Inc.\
310 Hurricane Lane, Suite 4\
Williston, VT 05495-2082\
Phone: (802) 862-6629, ext. 11\
Fax: (802) 863-4093\
E-mail: <swarms@microstrain.com>

**Biography\
**Steven Arms founded MicroStrain, Inc. while studying biomechanical
injuries. Realizing the sensors he invented to evaluate ligament strain
could have other uses, he is now researching the potential of
micro-miniature displacement, strain, force and pressure transducers in
medical, civil structures and automotive applications. MicroStrain is
contributing its services\
pro bono.

**Connection to the Bell**

## When the Bell is moved, MicroStrain will monitor vibrations and any strain in its famous crack. Using a series of wireless sensors, Arms will have the ability to sound an instant alarm if damage is imminent. In March, MicroStrain participated in a test lift, which detected no harmful vibrations. 

## 

**Charles L. Blockson, Curator**

**Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, Temple University**

**First Floor, Sullivan Hall**

**12^th^ Street & Berks Mall**

**Philadelphia, PA 19122**

**Phone: (215) 204-6632\
Fax: (215) 204-5197**

**Biography\
**The Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection is one of the
nation\'s leading research facilities for the study of the history and
culture of people of African descent. Blockson donated the core
collection to Temple University in 1983. As primary custodian of this
major research facility, Blockson continues his commitment to preserving
the past for the future.

**Connection to the Bell**

Blockson served on the blue ribbon panel of experts who reviewed the
final exhibits inside the new Liberty Bell Center.

**Mary Bomar, Superintendent**

**Independence National Historical Park**

**143 S. 3^rd^ Street**

**Philadelphia, PA 19106**

**Phone: (215) 597-7120**

**Fax: (215) 597-0042**

**E-mail: <Mary_Bomar@nps.gov>**

## Biography 

Mary Bomar joined the National Park Service (NPS) in 1990. While
initiating start-up NPS operations at the new Oklahoma City National
Memorial as superintendent, she was also named the first NPS state
coordinator for Oklahoma. In addition, Bomar managed the Washita
Battlefield National Historic Site, Historic Route 66 and the Trail of
Tears National Historic Trails.

**Connection to the Bell**

For Bomar, a British native who became a U.S. citizen in 1977, the
Liberty Bell's significance is two-fold. In addition to her
responsibilities for the Bell's legacy and safety, Bomar finds the
symbol of her adopted country especially meaningful.

**Michael Coard, Esquire**

**The Bowser Law Center**

**250 S. 16^th^ Street**

### Philadelphia, PA 19102

**Phone: (215) 552-8714**

**E-mail: <mc@bowserweaver.com>**

**Biography**

Michael Coard practices law at The Bowser Law Center and hosts a radio
show focusing on legal issues. A member of numerous civil rights
organizations, Coard is a founder of Avenging the Ancestors Coalition
(ATAC).

**Connection to the Liberty Bell**

When Coard learned that interpretive plans for Independence Mall didn't
reflect the experience of George Washington's slaves, he founded ATAC.
He recruited community activists, along with political, religious,
academic and business leaders to ensure that the unacknowledged
contributions of enslaved Americans were recognized and honored. ATAC's
long-term goal is the creation of a permanent commemorative structure
prominently featured in Independence National Historical Park.

#### Bernard J. Cywinski, Fellow

**American Institute of Architects**

**Principal, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson\
123 S. Broad Street, Suite 1370\
Philadelphia, PA 19109-1080\
Phone: (215) 790-5900\
E-mail: <bcywinski@bcj.com>**

## 

## Biography

Bernard J. Cywinski is a principal of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, a
nationally regarded architectural firm, which counts six national
American Institute of Architects Honor Awards among its 250
recognitions. In addition to designing the new Liberty Bell Center,
Cywinski is one of the architects who conceived the master plan for
Independence National Historical Park.

## Connection to the Bell 

In creating his design for the Liberty Bell's new home, Cywinski focused
on uniting architecture and history. His design brings the Liberty Bell
closer to Independence Hall, both literally and figuratively, setting
the stage for a powerful connection to America's story.

**Karie Diethorn, Chief Curator**

**Independence National Historical Park (INHP)**

**143 S. 3^rd^ Street**

**Philadelphia, PA 19106**

**Phone: (215) 597-9373\
Fax: (215) 597-5556\
E-mail: <Karie_Diethorn@nps.gov>**

**Biography**

Once a curatorial intern at INHP, Karie Diethorn returned to the Park in
1989 as staff curator. She was named Independence Park's museum branch
chief curator in 1994 and has co-authored a catalog of INHP's historic
portrait collection.

**Connection to the Bell**

Relocating high-profile artifacts is nothing new to Karie Diethorn, who
will oversee the move. She has moved the only known portraits of Lewis
and Clark and the only portrait of Thomas Jefferson with red hair.
Diethorn has also moved Independence Hall artifacts, including the
famous Rising Sun Chair and the inkstand used to sign the *Declaration
of Independence* and the\
*U.S. Constitution.*

**Philip Goldsmith, Managing Director**

**City of Philadelphia**

1401 John F. Kennedy Boulevard,\
Room 1430

**Philadelphia, PA 19102-1583**

**Phone: (215) 686-3480**

**Biography**

Philip Goldsmith has held senior positions in many fields, including
law, journalism, government and banking. Prior to being named managing
director of the City of Philadelphia in 2003, he was acting executive
director of Fairmount Park.

**Connection to the Bell**

Throughout his many years of government service, Philip Goldsmith has
confronted many high-pressure situations, but moving the Liberty Bell
carries a whole new level of responsibility. Working closely with
National Park Service officials, Goldsmith will provide city support and
services to ensure the Bell's safe relocation. After all, he doesn't
want to be remembered as "the managing director known for putting
another crack in the Bell."

**Meryl Levitz, President and CEO**

**Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC)**

**30 S. 17^th^ Street, Suite 1710**

**Philadelphia, PA 19103**

**Phone: (215) 599-0776**

**Fax: (215) 599-0773**

**E-mail: <meryl@gptmc.com>**

**Biography**

As president and CEO of GPTMC, Meryl Levitz is responsible for expanding
Philadelphia's regional tourism, worth \$4.7 billion in annual visitor
spending and accounting for 112,000 regional jobs.

**Connection to the Bell**

In 2000, as hospitality industry leaders wracked their collective brains
to create fun projects for the Republican National Convention, Levitz
suggested that the exhibit produced for the Centennial Exhibition here
in Philadelphia in 1876 be recreated, with each state producing a bell
made out of that state's indigenous materials. "The Gathering of the
Bells" was one of the most popular exhibits at PoliticalFest at the
Pennsylvania Convention Center. Photographs of some of the bells are
still on gophila.com. As the region's top leisure tourism executive,
Levitz has a vested interest in how the region's icons are presented to
its visitors.

**Andrew Lins, Neubauer Family Chair of Conservation**

**Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA)**

**Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 26^th^ Street**

**Philadelphia, PA 19130-7646**

**Phone: (215) 684-7540**

**Fax: (215) 684-7550**

**E-mail: <alins@philamuseum.org>**

 

### Biography 

As PMA's Conservation Department chairman and senior conservator for
sculpture and decorative arts, Andrew Lins oversees the collections'
conservation and preservation. He has treated many historical treasures,
including the William Penn Charter's wax seal and the *Declaration of
Independence* inkwell.

 

## Connection to the Liberty Bell 

Lins's relationship with the Bell began in 1981 when Independence
National Historical Park asked him to stop the corrosion. After the Bell
was attacked in 2001, he used radiography and ultrasound studies to
assess potential damage. For the 2003 move, he worked with engineers to
develop technology to monitor the Bell\'s crack during transport and
collaborated on rigging procedures and conveyance design.

### Bill Moore, President and CEO

Independence Visitor Center Corporation (IVCC)

**5^th^ & Market Streets**

**Philadelphia, PA 19106**

**Phone: (215) 925-6102**

**E-mail: <bmoore@independencevisitorcenter.com>**

**Biography**

After opening the new Independence Visitor Center, Bill Moore began to
oversee the construction of the new Liberty Bell Center. When not
managing multi-million dollar building projects and running the IVCC,
Moore administers Heritage Philadelphia, a grant program funded by Pew
Charitable Trusts to make Philadelphia's history and heritage more
accessible.

**Connection to the Bell**

The Liberty Bell Center is the newest addition to Independence National
Historical Park. Whether it was overseeing the groundbreaking, hiring
project managers, securing funding or monitoring exhibit installation,
Moore, in collaboration with the National Park Service, was involved in
every detail of the Bell's new home.

**Tom Muldoon, President**

**Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB)**

**1515 Market Street, Suite 2020**

**Philadelphia, PA 19102**

**Phone: (215) 636-3333**

**Fax: (215) 636-3327**

### Biography 

As PCVB president, Tom Muldoon launched the successful Philadelphia
Multicultural Affairs Congress, the Greater Philadelphia Health Care
Congress, the Philadelphia Sports Congress and an international
marketing effort. He was instrumental in generating support for the
Pennsylvania Convention Center and in selling Philadelphia as the site
of the 2000 Republican National Convention.

# **Connection to the Liberty Bell** 

Since joining the PCVB in 1985, Muldoon estimates that he has personally
escorted more than 3,000 people on a tour of the Liberty Bell. Add to
that the hundreds of thousands of delegates who tour the Bell while in
town for a convention each year and Muldoon could be considered one of
the Liberty Bell's biggest patrons.

**Olin Partnership speaker representing**

**Laurie Olin, Principal**

**Olin Partnership**

**Practice Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of
Pennsylvania\
150 S. Independence Mall West\
Suite 1123\
Philadelphia, PA 19106\
Phone: (215) 440-0030\
Fax: (215) 440-0041**

**E-mail: <lolin@olinptr.com>**

**Biography**

Among the high-profile projects bearing Laurie Olin's mark are New York
City's Battery Park, the Getty Center in Los Angeles and numerous
projects in London, England; Frankfurt, Germany; and Barcelona, Spain.
Formerly the chairman of Harvard University's Department of Landscape
Architecture, Olin is a John Guggenheim Fellow and a trustee of the
American Academy in Rome.

**Connection to the Bell**

The Olin Partnership led the team that developed the master plan to
revitalize Independence Mall. The plan includes the Liberty Bell Center,
the Independence Visitor Center and the National Constitution Center.
Olin Partnership collaborated with Bohlin Cywinski Jackson to design the
Liberty Bell Center's landscape architecture.

**Fred Stein**

**The Creative Group, Inc.**

**4 E. 1^st^ Avenue, Suite 204**

**Conshohocken, PA 19428**

**Phone: (610) 940-1999**

**E-mail: <fstein@cre8ivegrp.com>**

**Biography**

Fred Stein has been at the center of Philadelphia events since 1981 when
he planned the city's tercentenary celebration. His award-winning
company, The Creative Group, produces special events and meetings around
the country.

**Connection to the Liberty Bell**

Stein can recall exactly when he realized the Liberty Bell's
significance. It was 4 p.m. on September 17, 1987, when he witnessed a
ceremonial tapping of the Bell, one of the final events of the 200^th^
anniversary of the *U.S. Constitution.* Bells rang out around the city,
the nation and in many countries that modeled their government after the
*U.S. Constitution.* Stein is producing the Liberty Bell events pro
bono.

#### Stephanie Wolf, Ph.D., Senior Fellow

**McNeil Center for Early American Studies, University of Pennsylvania**

**Research Fellow**

**Library Company of Philadelphia**

**628 W. Hortter Street**

**Philadelphia, PA 19119**

**Phone: (215) 438-4131**

**E-mail: <sgwolfpa@aol.com>**

## Biography 

Stephanie Wolf is one of the region's leading experts on 18^th^-century
history. A consultant to museums and historical institutions and a
frequent lecturer, she has published several books and articles on early
American life.

**Connection to the Bell**

"Getting it right" was the driving force behind an ad hoc group of
scholars who joined forces to collectively influence how Independence
National Historical Park (INHP) interpreted the Liberty Bell and other
Independence Mall sites. Sometimes contentious, sometimes collaborative,
the relationship between INHP and Wolf and her counterparts has resulted
in a broader, more inclusive interpretation.

**George S. Young, President**

**George Young Company**

**20^th^ Street & Oregon Avenue**

**Philadelphia, PA 19145**

**Phone: (215) 467-2200, ext. 326**

**E-mail: <TOPRIGGER@aol.com>**

**Biography**

Since 1869, the George Young Company has been moving some of
Philadelphia's most recognizable icons. The family-owned rigging, mill
wrighting and hauling business, has relocated the Rocky statue and
installed the Clothespin. The company is moving the Liberty Bell pro
bono.

**Connection to the Liberty Bell**

In 1962, Charles Young designed the system that lifted and re-hung the
Bell when its yoke needed structural reinforcement. In 2003, the legacy
continues as his son George oversees the Bell's move to its new home.
The company has been planning the Liberty Bell move for two years.

*Today's breakfast, prepared by Walter Staib, executive chef at City
Tavern, was sponsored by the Independence Mall Business and Residents
Coalition (IMBARC).* *"The Breakfast with the Bell," a community
breakfast hosted by IMBARC, will take place on October 9, 2003, from
7:00-9:00 a.m.*