Meet Our Board Members

Heritage, whether it is local, American or family, has been a part of Mary's life since her early youth. She remembers well listening to old family stories from her Uncle Maddux at her great grandparent's farm. That interest created a path in her life's journey from college to professional history-related careers including teaching and professional museum work.

She has served as Education Specialist at the NC Transportation Museum, State Tar Heel Junior Historian Coordinator at the NC Museum of History, and Director of the Iredell Museum. In addition Mary is a seasoned writer for various publications including Yadkin Valley Magazine. In 2020 she published her experience as a colonial cook in a book entitled Heritage Cooking Inspired by Rebecca Boone. In the 13th season of A Taste of History, a featured program for PBS, Mary joined Chef Walter Staib for a cooking at the hearth segment located at the Hickory Ridge Museum in Boone, NC.

Mary muses, "I do not remember a time in my life that I did not know the name Daniel Boone." Her intrigue with Boone and colonial life on the Carolina frontier drew her to becoming involved with the NC Daniel Boone Heritage Trail. For the last five years she has served as President of the organization. She believes strongly that the story of Boone needs to be told and taught to our young people. With that in mind Mary has worked with other Boone enthusiasts to produce a children's biography about Daniel Boone in NC.

Mary, who lives in Wilkes County, is the grandmother of seven and great grandmother of two children. Faith, family and heritage are foundations in her life.

John (JD) Burleson is 77 years old and has been doing Burleson genealogy for 30 years. He is co-founder of the Burleson Family Research Group (www.bfrg.info), which started doing genealogy back in 1995, mostly in the Stanly County area of NC, but has grown into an international group with Burleson cousins in over 17 countries.

JD is a member of the Overmountain Victory Trail Association. He says, "I met Mary Bohlen and Doug Mitchell at the school day in Elkin. Mary contacted me about the Boones Cave Heritage Day and that was where I met Bryan Laws. I really enjoyed that day, I was able to dress out and fire my flintlock, and learned a great deal of history about Daniel Boone."

JD is a member of two Sons of the American Revolution Chapters: the Colson's Mill Chapter in Stanly County, NC, where he is the secretary, and the Gen William Campbell Chapter in Abington, VA, where he is the historian. He is also in the Uwharrie Jamestown Chapter, where he serves as historian. JD says, "What I enjoy is putting together pictures of events I attend; I do this for my SAR and Jamestowne Chapter as their historian."

Kelly Coffey is the senior planner at High Country Council of Governments where he has worked for 27 years serving local governments in Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey Counties. He previously taught history and geography at the college level for six years.

Kelly had a role in the founding of Blue Ridge Conservancy, and served on the board for 20 years; several of those years as president and vice-president. He remains actively involved as a committee member.

The Watauga County resident and native owns and operates a small commercial farm (www.theravenrocks.com). Kelly enjoys writing about the history, folklore, and wildlife of the region, with several articles appearing in publications such as Our State and Appalachian Voice. Most of these articles are collected on his website www.blueridgelore.org.

Andrew Cole is a public historian and graduate of Appalachian State University. He has nearly a decade of experience in the public history field, having worked seasonally for the National Park Service and later for North Carolina State Historic Sites. He is currently the director of the Museum of Ashe County History in Jefferson, North Carolina.

His topics of interest include North Carolina history, Southern Appalachia history, the American Civil War, and environmental history. In his free time, he enjoys road trips with his family and exploring local history off the beaten path.

Margaret Cooper was born on a farm in Ashe County in 1951, the last of 7 children. She was the first in the family to go to college. After attending Wingate Junior College on full scholarship, she transferred to Lenoir Rhyne and earned a degree in Intermediate Education with a concentration in social studies and language arts. Margaret returned home to Ashe and started teaching at Jefferson Elementary School.

She married Mike Cooper from Wilkes County in 1980. She and her sister opened a used bookstore in West Jefferson. In 1984, Margaret and Mike moved to North Wilkesboro, where she continued teaching and opened another branch of the bookstore. After the birth of their son in 1986, Margaret left teaching and concentrated on raising the children and managing the bookstore for 36 years.

Her family's shared love of history led them to visit historical locations across the country. Through her involvement with the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), she discovered a link to Sarah Boone Wilcoxin and the American hero Daniel Boone.

Now retired, she has time to read about the Boones and visit as many sites associated with the family as possible. She deeply feels the need to promote the history of this family after reading a book about Daniel Boone to a local 4th grade and finding out none of them had ever heard of Daniel Boone.

Roger Lee Crook, Jr. graduated from North Davidson High School and later from Western Carolina University with a B.S in Geography. He has been married for 34 years and has two sons, Christopher and Aaron.

Lee is currently employed with the Davidson County Planning Department, where he has worked for almost 33 years. Starting as a Zoning Officer in 1993, he worked his way up to the Director's position and has served in that capacity for over a year.

He has served on the Davidson County Parks and Recreation Board since 1994 and has been fortunate to see the development of the Davidson County Parks System. As part of that effort, he has served on the Yadkin River Park Committee as a historian researching and mapping the Battle of the Yadkin River Bridge through relic finds and research of the historic roadways of Davidson and Rowan Counties. He is the current Chairman of the Yadkin River Park Sign Committee.

As an Adam Spach descendant, he serves on the Wachovia Historical Society Board of Directors and on a Properties Development Committee tasked with the development of the Adam Spach property who founded Friedburg Moravian Church.

Lee says, "I have a deep love for history so when Mary Bohlen asked me to serve on the North Carolina Daniel Boone Heritage Trail Board, I accepted. I have been a member for just over a year and hope to be able to contribute to this effort."

Robert Alvin Crum is a historian, writer, visual artist, and public speaker, who also portrays his sixth great-grandfather Col. Daniel Boone. He earned a Bachelor of Arts at Bradley University in political science with a concentration in history and studied law for two years at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. For decades, he's been researching, writing, painting, and telling stories about his Boone and Bryan ancestors.

He's a past Board Member of The Boone Society, Inc., a Life Member of the Society of Boonesborough, a Board Member of the North Carolina Daniel Boone Heritage Trail, Immediate Past President of the Col. Daniel Boone Chapter–NCSSAR, a member of the Fort Boonesborough Foundation and Friends of Boone's Trace, and a Life Member of the Order of Founders of the Grandville District through his ancestor Squire Boone.

Robert has lived in North Carolina for thirty-six years and currently lives in the mountains in Burnsville. His website is www.danielboone-nc.com.

Bryan Laws is a retired Financial Internal Auditor where he worked for 30 years. Bryan is the incoming Vice-President of The North Carolina Daniel Boone Heritage Trail, where he has served on the Board for the last two years. He and his wife Doris are the membership chairs for the Heritage Trail and are in charge of merchandising.

Bryan is a direct descendant of Sarah Boone Wilcoxson (wife of John Wilcoxson and sister to frontiersman Daniel Boone). Over the past few years Bryan has gained an appreciation and love for genealogy, history, and graveyard hunting.

Doris Hicks Laws has always had a love for history and genealogy. She has degrees in the medical field, interior design, and childhood development. She has spent most of her years in elementary education as an art teacher.

When her husband Bryan found out he was related to Daniel Boone through his sister Sarah Wilcoxson, she began digging deeper into family history. She wants to help preserve the history of the Boones in North Carolina.

Linda graduated from Appalachian State University with a degree in social studies education, and taught social studies in the school system for 37½ years, the majority of which has been in Davie County. She has always tried to instill in her students an appreciation of history. Her students toured Joppa Cemetery and visited the graves of the Boone's and learned about Daniel Boone.

Linda has led numerous tours of Davie County historical sites for the Senior Center and other groups. She has volunteered and served on many committees and groups in Davie County, including serving on the Advisory Council of the Davie County Senior Center.

Currently, Linda is serving as President of the Davie County History and Genealogy Society, Secretary of the Forks of the Yadkin Davie Museum committee, and Treasurer for the North Carolina Daniel Boone Heritage Trail, of which she is a charter member. She is the only original member of the Daniel Boone Family Festival Committee in Mocksville, and is responsible each year for all history related activities at the festival. Linda is now serving on the Davie County Committee for the 250th Celebration.

She says, "It is a pleasure to be involved in so many historical events."

Linda is Chairman of the Scholarship Committee for the Davie County Retired School Personnel. She has also volunteered for over 15 years at her church where she schedules senior trips and other social events. She is proud to be a member of the Eastern Star. Having been a realtor for 42 years, Linda continues to list and sell real estate.

Linda says, "Enjoying family time with my two children and four grandchildren, playing bridge, traveling, and supporting my husband in his marathon events are my greatest joys."

Doug has been interested in history for years and has pursued these interests through organizations like the Sons of the American Revolution, the Overmountain Victory Trail Association, and the North Carolina Daniel Boone Heritage Trail. He enjoys participating in public historical events focused on 18th-century history.

Researching, photography, blacksmithing, and exploring have always been favorite pastimes. Several years ago, Doug and his grandson, Gabe, located the Revolutionary War-era ironworks of patriot David Allen along Big Elkin Creek in Elkin, NC. This site was essential for supplying patriot militia forces with iron and served as a muster site for those troops.

Doug has been happily married for 45 years and has three daughters and seven grandchildren. Many of his family members have joined him in demonstrating 18th-century history at public events.

Barbara has been researching her ancestors since the early 1970's. As a child, Barbara's grandmother had always told her that she was related to Daniel Boone, but never told Barbara how. That drove Barbara to research her ancestors, and in the early 1990's she finally found the connection. Barbara is a direct descendant of Sarah Boone and John Wilcoxson and their daughter Nancy Wilcoxson who married Benjamin Greer.

Barbara grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge not far from where Daniel and Rebecca Boone had a cabin on the Yadkin River in Wilkes County, NC. She and her husband currently live on property that has been in her family for many generations.

Upon graduating from high school in 1961, Barbara left Wilkes County and moved to Winston-Salem, NC. She worked for the Veterans Administration before joining the Burroughs Corporation in 1966. Over the following decades, Barbara held upper management positions across the country, eventually serving as the Integration and Operations Manager for Unisys Federal Systems in the Washington DC area, where she was responsible for several multi-million dollar contracts with clients including the National Security Agency, NASA, ATF, the U.S. Coast Guard, and NATO.

During Desert Storm and Desert Shield, Barbara worked closely with NATO and received an Accommodation for a 48-hour turnaround supplying millions of dollars in computer products via two dedicated 747 aircraft to Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.

After retiring from Unisys, Barbara began a second career with Lowe's Home Improvement in their corporate offices, serving as Assistant to the Senior Executive of Logistics until her retirement in 2011.

Barbara is the former Secretary for the NC Heritage Trail. She is a member of the Boone Society, former Treasurer and Boone Family Genealogist. She is also a member of the United Daughters of Confederacy (UDC). She attended Mercer University in Atlanta.