2026 U.S. Grant Symposium Speakers
Dr.Willie Redmond
Dr. Willie Redmond earned a PhD in Economics and an MBA from the University of South Carolina. He taught at Southeast Missouri State University for 25 years, where he served as a Professor of Economics, the Director of International Business Programs, and the Chairperson of the Department of Marketing.He has also taught Economics and International Businesscourses in Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands. Dr. Redmond served as the National Chairperson of the American Democracy Project’s Steering Committee, in 2022/2023.
In addition to serving with Dr. Nickell on the faculty of Southeast Missouri State, Dr. Redmond also had the pleasure of working with Dr. Nickell on the board of the Kellerman Foundation for Historical Preservation.
Curt Fields
Dr. Fields has portrayed General and President Grant in 22 states as he travels the nation presenting his portrayal of General and President Ulysses S. Grant.
He researches and reads extensively about the General and President in order to deliver an accurate persona of the General. Presentations are in first person, quoting from General Grant’s Memoirs, articles, letters and statements the General wrote, interviews he gave and first-person accounts of people who knew the General or witnessed him during events.
Being the same height and body style as General Grant, he puts before the audience a convincing, true-to-life image of the man as he really looked. In the 21st century, Curt is a retired secondary school administrator and college instructor. He also has a background in law-enforcement, having served as Memphis, TN, police officer and hostage negotiator.
Lyle Randolph
Lyle Randolph is a native of Gideon, Missouri, and an eighth-generation Missourian whose earliest direct ancestors settled in the District of Cape Girardeau under Spanish rule in 1797. A graduate of the University of Missouri in Columbia, he currently serves as Vice President and General Manager of Century Casino & Hotel in Cape Girardeau.
Randolph’s historical research centers on the Civil War and the often-overlooked history of the Missouri Bootheel region.
A dedicated preservationist, Randolph collects Civil War letters, documents, and photographs tied to Southeast Missouri. He and his wife, Nicole, live in Jackson, Missouri, with their children.
Gregory Wolk
Gregory Wolk is a historian, author, lecturer, and retired civil trial attorney whose scholarship focuses on the Civil War in Missouri and the Trans-Mississippi theater.
He serves as Executive Director of the National U.S. Grant Trail Association and has devoted many years to preserving and interpreting Missouri’s Civil War history and its connections to Ulysses S. Grant. Wolk is the author of Friend and Foe Alike: A Tour Guide to Missouri’s Civil War and John Frémont’s 100 Days: Clashes and Convictions in Civil War Missouri.
Through his writing, research, and public presentations, he works to broaden understanding of Missouri’s Civil War landscape and the people and events that shaped Grant’s early wartime career.
John Samson
John Samson is a historian, lecturer, and longtime student of Ulysses S. Grant and the American Civil War. Based in St. Louis, he has devoted many years to researching Grant’s life, military career, public service, and important connections to Missouri.
Samson serves on the Board of Directors of the Ulysses S. Grant Association and has presented historical programs and lectures at the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site and other venues. Through his research, collecting, and public presentations, he is dedicated to preserving and sharing the history and legacy of Ulysses S. Grant.
Century Casino & Hotel Cape Girardeau
The U.S. Grant Symposium on November 6, 2026 is honored to be hosted by the Kellerman Foundation at Century Casino & Hotel in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The Kellerman Foundation, established by Drs. Bert and Mary Ann Kellerman, is devoted to historic preservation and connecting the community with the architectural, historical, and cultural heritage of southeast Missouri (and southern Illinois).
Click here for more information on The Kellerman Foundation.