Board Members

Weston Blelock, President

Weston Blelock grew up in Woodstock. He has served as a trustee for 16 years. His company, WoodstockArts, publishes award-winning art books on Woodstock subjects and is based in Woodstock, NY. Over the years, he has spearheaded a revision of the Historical Society bylaws and its collections' policy. In 2010 he applied for a CAP grant. As a result, the Society hired Gwen Spicer to survey the collection and submit a report on best practices. This year he submitted a grant request to help the Society prepare for its upcoming centennial in 2029.

Lewis Arlt, Vice President

Born in Kingston, NY, and raised in Woodstock, Lewis is a veteran actor with 35 years' experience performing on Broadway, regional theatre, and television, directing episodes, and penning numerous scripts for daytime soaps. After retirement, Lewis resettled in Woodstock, in his family home. He and his wife Juli enjoy various hobbies, and Lewis had launched a new career in the voice acting arena. Lewis was appointed to the HSW board in January 2020. He looks forward to working with the HSW board on special projects that will utilize his many talents.

Kathy Crost, Treasurer

I lived in Woodstock during my junior high and high school years and attended Onteora. I practiced law in New York City for about 40 years; I retired a few years ago. I am interested in many aspects of Woodstock history, especially the lives of everyday people.

Olivia Twine, Secretary

Olivia Twine, a freelance writer, serves as secretary on the Board of Directors of the Historical Society of Woodstock. Retired as a financial aid specialist from SUNY Ulster this past year, Twine directed the HSW suffrage centennial project. One of the initiatives was "Standing on Their Shoulders, 100 Years of U.S. Women Voting and Still Marching for Women's Rights," an exhibit and events funded in part by a grant from Humanities New York with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Deborah Heppner, Corresponding Secretary

Deborah Heppner was born and raised in Woodstock. After a long career as a social worker, she retired five years ago. She is married to Town Historian Richard Heppner and is mother to Jonathan and Eliza and grandmother to Henry. Deborah was president of the Historical Society Board from 2007 to 2019, working in all areas of the Society, including fundraising, liaising with other community organizations, and curating many HSW exhibitions. After taking a year off, she is looking forward to returning to the HSW board and supporting the great work in this community.

Karyn Bevet

A resident for 51 years. Retired RN, Sales and Business Manager, Dance instructor, and Performer. I love my chosen hometown, its history, people, and the breathtaking nature that abounds.

Michael Drillinger

Michael Drillinger is currently doing administrative and booking work for the High Meadow School in Stone Ridge. I do volunteer work projects around Woodstock as a member of the Geezer Corps. In addition to being on the board of the HSW, I am on the board of the Catskill Mountain Club, the Kingston Land Trust, and the volunteer chairman of the Ten Mile River Scout Museum. I am an avid Catskill hiker and a New York State Outdoor Guide, and I love history and local and Hudson Valley. I live in Woodstock with my wife, Rosalind Dickinson.

John F. “Jeff” Keithline

Jeff Keithline was born in 1954 and is married to Elizabeth Keithline. Working as a music professional since 1971, Jeff has also worked for 35 years in small business retail, managing building projects, and commercial real estate in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts. Prior to moving to Woodstock in 2019, Jeff served on the boards of several non-profit organizations in RI including as Treasurer of the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame from 2012 to 2019.

Jeffrey Miller

Jeffrey Miller is a composer whose works have been performed throughout the United States. After receiving his Ph.D. from the CUNY Graduate Center, he had a long teaching career, primarily at Brooklyn College and California State University, East Bay. Also active as an arts administrator, he was Executive Director and Co-Artistic Director of the San Francisco new music presenter Composers, Inc. Jeff and his wife, designer and artist Linda Livings, moved to Woodstock in 2018.

Janine Mower

Janine has a long-standing affiliation with the Historical Society of Woodstock. She is currently volunteering in the capacity of scanning images from the collection into Past Perfect. Janine is also updating the HSW obituary collection. An avid genealogist, local history researcher, and author, Janine is celebrating the 2022 release of her latest self-published work, One Marine’s Story- Corporal John L. Fallon U.S.M.C., a memoir penned by her father. The story is sprinkled with insights added by Janine and her brother. Retired from Health Alliance WCMC as an RN Case Manager, Janine now works with her husband John at Mower’s Saturday Sunday flea market in Woodstock. Having developed proficiency with social media marketing for Mower’s flea market, Janine now manages the HSW FB and Instagram pages. She has an ongoing interest in promoting local history to the public.

Bruce Weber

Bruce Weber is an independent art historian of American Art who has primarily been focusing in recent years on the historic Woodstock art colony in his writing, lecturing, and curatorial work. Over the course of his career, he has served as a curator at numerous institutions, including the Norton Museum of Art, National Academy Museum, and Museum of the City of New York. From 1990 to 2007, he was Director of Research and Exhibitions at Berry-Hill Galleries in New York City. Dr. Weber has curated numerous major exhibitions and written on various topics covering American art from the early nineteenth century to today. In 2020 he curated an exhibition of the landscapes of Otto Blerhals for the Woodstock Artists Association and Museum. In addition, he co-curated an exhibition of the art of Zuma Steele for the Kleinert/James Center of the Arts. Last fall, he curated the Tomas Penning show at the Woodstock School of Art. Since 2020 he has produced and written for the blog learningwoodstockartcolony.com.