John Updike Childhood Home Operations Staff
Maria Lester, Director
John Trimble, Property Manager
Volunteer Docents (our Most Valuable Persons!)
Maria Lester—Maria oversees all volunteer operations, tours, and programs at The John Updike Childhood Home. A charter member of The John Updike Society, she wrote her Ph.D. dissertation on Updike and currently teaches at both Albright College and Reading High School. Maria served as program director for the 3rd Biennial John Updike Society Conference in Reading and also participated in society-sponsored panels at American Literature Association conferences. She previously taught writing and literature courses at Albright, Penn State, and Bucks New University in High Wycombe, England.
Charlie Adams—Charlie is a Trustee of the Berks History Center and editor of The Historical Review of Berks County. He is the author more than 30 nonfiction books, from such subjects as ghost stories, legends, and folklore to shipwrecks, train wrecks, and baseball. Charlie is also a retired travel writer, morning radio host, and musician.
Nancy Kennedy—Nancy is a Shillington native with a bachelor’s degree in social work. She worked for Berks County Children and Youth Services and then switched to the license department of the Reading AAA for a job more conducive to raising three children.
Jill Koestel—Jill is an attorney, retired judge, and current member of the Governor Mifflin School Board. She is also past President of the Berks County Bar Association.
Ken Krawchuk—Ken is an English Literature graduate from Lebanon Valley College currently working as a Regional Coordinator in the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Division of Federal Programs. Ken’s hobbies include baseball, books, and (of course) all things Updike.
Maria McDonnell—Maria teaches writing and literature courses at Albright College. She is a poet and essayist with numerous publications and is a former Berks County Poet Laureate. She lives in Fleetwood with her husband and family.
Sara Peek—Sara is a Spanish teacher at Twin Valley High School. She has a B.A. in Spanish, a Master’s Degree in English and Secondary Education, and a Master’s Degree in Social Emotional Learning. In addition to teaching Spanish levels 2 and 3, she is currently the junior class officer, the prom advisor, baccalaureate coordinator, and the National Honor Society advisor. She also runs Twin Valley’s international travel club.
Travis Peek—Travis is a lifelong Berks County resident and an avid reader that has long admired the works of John Updike. He first encountered Updike when he was a student at Wilson High School through the Rabbit series. Travis works as a Premier Executive Underwriter for Chubb Limited. He attended Penn State, where he earned a degree in Economics, and also earned an MBA at Kutztown University and a designation from The Wharton School.
Paige Sechler—Paige is a Berks County native and University of Hartford grad who spent four years playing Division I basketball. She has worked 21 years at Reading High School, where she teaches AP English and Honors American Lit. Paige is also English Department chairperson, Poetry Outloud coordinator, and National Honor Society advisor.
Elizabeth Siegfried—Elizabeth is a high school English teacher for the Twin Valley School District who loves anything to do with the writing craft and those who pursue it.
Susan Atkins Weiser—Susan attended Governor Mifflin schools from K-12. In addition to a lengthy career in the borough operating C.B. Atkins Real Estate and Appraisals at 311 W. Lancaster Ave., Shillington, she is a lifelong community volunteer who served as a trustee for the Reading Symphony Orchestra, Friends of Chamber Music, and Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom. On a regular basis she contributes articles to the Berks History Center’s Historical Review magazine. She also serves as president of that organization.
Shpresa Ymeraj—Shpresa is the author of Dashuria dhe Dhoma e Errët (Outskirts Press, 2020,) a poetry collection. In the past, Shpresa worked as a business relationship manager for Bank of America, Citi, and Santander banks, separating in 2016 to care for a family member.
John Updike Society Board
James Plath, President—The John Updike Society
James Schiff, Vice-President—The John Updike Society
Peter Bailey, Secretary—The John Updike Society
Marshall Boswell, Treasurer—The John Updike Society
Biljana Dojčinović, Director – The John Updike Society
Matthew Koch, Director, The John Updike Society
Maria Lester, Director, The John Updike Childhood Home
Robert Luscher, Director – The John Updike Society
Sylvie Mathé, Director – The John Updike Society
Matthew Shipe, Director – The John Updike Society
Miranda Updike, Updike Family Representative – Rockport, Mass.
John Updike Childhood Home Advisory Board
Charles J. Adams III, Editor – The Historical Review of Berks County
Tim Daley, Executive Director – Habitat for Humanity of Berks County
Bronwen Gamble, Executive Director – Reading Public Library
Leah Rotenberg, Attorney – Mays, Connard & Rotenberg
Bill McKay, Retired Superintendent – Governor Mifflin School District
Dave Silcox, Secretary – Reading Area Firefighters Museum
Jasmine Smith, Reference & Instruction Librarian – Alvernia University
Conrad Vanino, Owner-Broker – Century 21 Park Road
Susan Atkins Weiser, President – The Berks History Center
Major Benefactors ($50,000+, cash or in-kind)
The Robert and Adele Schiff Family Foundation
The PECO Foundation / Roemer & Constance McPhee
Wabash College / Kevin Schehr
Benefactors ($25,000+, cash or in-kind)
Habitat for Humanity of Berks County
Patrons ($10,000+, cash or in-kind)
The John and Gaye Patton Charitable Foundation
Donors ($1,000+, cash or in-kind)
American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation
Shillington/Mifflin Alumni Association
Alvernia University
Albright College
Michael Updike
Miranda Updike
Elizabeth Updike Cobblah
David Updike
Mary P. Weatherall
James Plath
James Schiff
Takashi Nakatani
Donald J. and Ellen B. Greiner
Joseph G. and Judith A. Moser
Lang Zimmerman
Bruce P. Moyer
Gerard Connors
Richard Seabrook
Steven J. Malcolm
Laurence W. Mazzeno
Sue Scott
Robert M. Luscher
Aurora Sharrard
Julia Thompson
David Ruoff
David Silcox
Susan Atkins Weiser
The John Updike Childhood Home 