Quartermasters

The Canal Quarters program would not be possible without the dedicated efforts of the volunteers who oversee the lockhouses, provide periodic maintenance, and assist park visitors. The C&O Canal Trust’s Quartermasters work in teams to regularly inspect the lockhouses. They provide the backbone of the Canal Quarters program and are invaluable links to the communities along the canal.

We are currently seeking new Quartermasters! Quartermaster recruitment information can be found here.

Become a Quartermaster

Davey & Jennifer Hearn live in Brookmont above Lockhouse 6 in Bethesda, Maryland. They own Sweet Composites, offering everything you need to build your own canoe or kayak and many other things too. They married at the head of the Potomac River Feeder Canal just upstream of Lock 6, where they often trained for whitewater slalom. Davey, a member of the US Whitewater Team for 26 years, won the World Championships twice and competed in three Olympic Games. Both volunteer for the annual Potomac River cleanup and support initiatives to protect and preserve this awesome resource for generations to come.

Bob Walsh works as a certified financial planner in Cabin John, Maryland near Lockhouse 10. He enjoys paddling outrigger canoes on the Potomac River with the Washington Canoe Club and biking on the towpath. In addition to volunteering with the C&O Canal Trust, he volunteers with the Bannockburn Elementary School PTA and Potomac Soccer Association.

John & Susan Gelb are quartermasters at Lockhouse 10.  They live in Cabin John, MD, just minutes from the C&O Canal.  Since retiring, they spend many hours a week hiking on the towpath and Billy Goat Trail.

“Our main interest in volunteering with the Canal Trust is to help preserve the history and beauty of this unique National Park.”

Linda Rieger received her Master’s Degree in Education and Special Education at Purdue University. She attended Stanford until Chuck and Linda’s first son was born.   Linda loves gardening and is a Master Gardener with the University of Maryland Extension Services.  She taught at the elementary, middle school, and university level at American University. Linda still maintains her connections with children (besides their 5 grandchildren) through the Canal Classrooms Corps and little science books that she has written for very young children and families that may have literacy issues.  She is an activist in their River Falls community on environmental issues.

Chuck Rieger received his Ph.D. from Stanford in 1974 in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence.  He was a professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Maryland and a Visiting Professor at MIT.  He was a participant in NASA’s interplanetary space exploratory symposia with Carl Sagan.  Chuck has co-founded four successful high tech start-ups.  Dr. Rieger is the author of six U.S. patents.  Today he is interested in historic houses and gardens which he visits with Linda, his wife.  He is a roller coaster junkie.  He loves to fix things and make 3-D prints for his friends and 5 grandchildren.  He loves getting into discussions with anyone about science and technology.  He is writing a book for young people (with all the humor of middle school children) on how to build your own computer.

Lockhouse 25 Quartermasters Don Street & Linda Bergofsky became Canal Trust volunteers in July 2016. They are both avid gardeners and outdoors enthusiasts, and are very active with local sustainability efforts in Poolesville, Maryland, where they reside. In addition to his quartermaster duties, Don is also a member of the C&O Canal Bike Patrol, assisting visitors along the towpath. Linda has been involved as a volunteer with a number of social services organizations and serves as an Election Judge for the Montgomery County Board of Elections. Don retired from the federal government in February 2017, and Linda hopes to follow him in that regard in 2018 after 25 years working with health care policy issues for several government agencies.

Kris Caraher – Kris is a career employee with the United States Department of Agriculture where she works with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. She has lived in Point of Rocks, Maryland along the C&O Canal for 30 years. As a daily user of the C&O Canal and seasonal paddler of the Potomac River, becoming a volunteer as a quartermaster for Lockhouse 28 was a natural calling. Kris and her husband Kai, also a quartermaster for Lockhouse 28 spent the night there starting the first year the Lockhouse was open for public rental with their three small children (at the time). Giving back to the canal is their prime reason; however, the couple aspires to become campground hosts at Yellowstone National Park and other National Parks in their retirement, and hopes to build their volunteer park resume through service to the C&O Canal Trust first. Kris is passionate about nature, trail building, trail maintenance, water sports, hiking, biking, and animals.