MEET THE MOO BOARD
RICK FITZGERALD - Chairman
Rick has served as the Gathering’s chair since its incorporation in 2012. He is a mostly self-taught guitar player/folksinger/songwriter with four CD recordings to his credit. He is the 2009 Mountain Laurel Autoharp Champion and has been a featured performer and autoharp instructor at festivals across the US. Rick is a mechanical engineer/project manager by profession, and has served on various volunteer boards and commissions for over 30 years. He and his wife Erina also enjoy raising Great Pyrenees dogs and spending time with their granddaughter. http://www.rootrivermusic.com/
TONY LINZ - Vice-Chair/Treasurer
Tony grew up in Maine but has lived in Wisconsin since 1990. He has attended the Gathering for the last dozen or so years and joined the board in 2013. An engineer by profession, Tony enjoys singing and attempts to play the guitar and autoharp, not usually at the same time.
DAN GEDDES - Secretary
Dan has a deep appreciation for the friends he has made through music including playing and recording with the band Laughing Whitefish. He first attended String Along in 1988 and has been a regular ever since, transitioning into the Gatherings. He tinkers with several instruments, but his favorite is the mountain dulcimer. In addition to serving on the MOO board, he is a board member of the Green Apple Folk Music Society and active in Trout Unlimited as an avid angler. He recently retired from a long career in R&D and relocated from Appleton to the Bay View neighborhood of Milwaukee with his wife Cindy.
SUE FRANKE
Sue was one of the original three board members, along with Rick Fitzgerald & Joe Boxhorn, who created MOO after the StringAlong ended in 2012. She returned to the board in 2019 to serve a second three-year term. Sue was also on the original board of the Shawano Folk Music Festival, now in its 42nd year. She attempted guitar, violin, piano and pennywhistle before finding some success with the ukulele, but her real joy is in singing with friends. She hosts a song circle in Shawano and enjoys learning and teaching new rounds.
Nancy Tikalsky
Although Nancy has been studying music since she was 8 (piano, flute and vocals), she didn’t pick up a guitar until 2015 and is self-taught. Born, raised and educated in Wisconsin, Nancy started attending Madison and Milwaukee Friday folk circles and drumming with friends in the 90’s and found the Kenosha Hootenanny after she moved to Illinois. At the Hoot she reconnected with her 2nd cousin Tom Zachek and his wife Amy Gavin, who encouraged her to attend the MOO weekends to provide another venue to enhance her skills on the guitar and sing (and dance!) folk music with others lovers of folk. Nancy has served on not-for-profit boards for more than 25 years and prosecutes polluters for the State of Illinois in her day job. She spends the rest of her time outdoors gardening, bird-watching, hiking, skiing and traveling her beloved self-guided adventures.
Don Starr
Don Starr grew up in the Milwaukee Area. He was exposed, at the age of 14, to the sound of live music by a man who would play guitar and sing cowboy songs to the kids in the neighborhood. Being hooked he bought his own guitar and hasn't put it down since.
He started teaching beginner guitar at LoDuca Brothers Music in Milwaukee at the age of 16 and subsequently did the same at Metropolitan and Beihoff Music.
Studied Classical Guitar in 1967 at the Conservatory of Music for one year until raising a family became a priority. Later studied American Finger Style Guitar under John Stropes .
Don was an Instructor of Carpentry and Building Construction at the Milwaukee Area Technical College from 1974-2011. He completed a Carpentry Apprenticeship in 1971 and a Bachelor and Masters degree in Education at UW-Stout. He Enjoys teaching guitar to whomever is interested
JOE BOXHORN - Board Member Emeritus
MOO wishes to thank recently retired board member Joe Boxhorn for his long service to the Gathering as Vice-Chair & Secretary. Joe was one of the three founding board members. His dedication to the Gathering and attention to detail have been very much appreciated. THANK YOU, JOE!