Born and reared in Eden, NC, Elwood earned Bachelor's and Master of Music Degrees as well as the Performers’ Certificate while studying with the famed professor of trombone, Emory Remington, at the Eastman School of Music, a school of the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. Given the nickname, Woody, in college, he did learn to sail on Lake Ontario once the ice melted. After stints teaching at Murray State College in Kentucky and free-lancing in New York, he moved to San Francisco where he was a member of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra for ten years, performed with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra and taught music at Stanford University for thirteen years. Marrying his wife, Jade, who joined him in San Francisco in 1984, they moved in 1991 to Atlanta, living there for twenty-five years, Jade continuing her career with AT&T then IBM, and Woody operating Williams Music Publishing Co. They joined the Atlanta Sail & Power Squadron (ASPS) after a good friend at Wrightsville Beach, who witnessed a particularly Keystone-Kops-like docking episode with their first boat, gently suggested they “might benefit from some boater education.” Indeed, they did benefit, and Woody began taking classes and getting involved. He completed Coastal BOC, went through the chairs, and became Commander of ASPS in 2015 and achieved the Senior Navigator designation after they moved to Wilmington in 2016 and joined CFSPS. They really enjoyed cruising aboard Escapade, their DeFever 44 offshore cruiser, when they attempted America’s Great Loop which was brought to a halt by the Covid epidemic. But they hope to buy another boat and continue enjoying time on the water. In addition to boating, they enjoy travel, reading, cooking, and many friendships and family visits here in Wilmington.

Barbara is originally from Richmond, Virginia, where she graduated from the Medical College of Virginia with both Baccalaureate and Master of Science degrees in Nursing. Having held a variety of positions in health care she retired from Arizona State University as Professor Emerita of Nursing and Health Innovation after teaching there for 20+ years. She is now enjoying being around the water after all those years in the desert and has been the Foghorn photographer and the Assistant Secretary in the past. She received the grade of Advanced Piloting in 2020. For family information see Cdr Otis White’s, P information above.

Jim moved to Wilmington with his wife Christy in August of 2020, relocating from Long Valley, NJ. Having recently retired from a 30+ year career in supply chain/ logistics at BASF, preceded by 6 years in the US Marine Corps as a supply officer, I’m really happy settling here in our house in the historic district of Wilmington! We have three grown kids, a boy and two girls, who are making their own way in the world. We just bought our second sailboat, a 41’ Morgan Out Island Classic, DaBlairs, (so we have two money pits – an old boat and an old house!). We cut our teeth sailing on a 1967 Pearson Commander that was moored up at the Nyack Boat Club. That experience helped us to decide to make boating a key part of our lives going forward. Looking forward to getting the boat shipshape and going cruising! As far as other interests go, I love to cook, travel, listen to music, and walk around the downtown neighborhoods.

Dawn was raised in Southern California and lived there for over 50 years. She earned her BA in mathematics from North Dakota State University, then moved back to Southern California to teach high school mathematics. She taught for 23 years with various leadership positions including Department Chair and Mentor Teacher. This led her to earn a master’s degree in education administration and to move into administrative positions within her District. She became Principal of the adult school in her District which led her to receive the Adult School Administrator of the Year Award  for the State of California. Her last administrative position was Principal of a large high school with 3,700 students in Ontario, California. She retired from that position in 2015. However, she was not done working. She worked in Long Beach, CA for her husband’s business becoming a business broker and then Vice President of Operations for 10 offices throughout the US, finally retiring for good in 2019. She has two sons and six granddaughters. Her husband, Ron Hottes, has four children and 11 grandchildren. They moved from Long Beach, CA to Wilmington three years ago to be able to boat on the Intercoastal Waterway and to be closer to all the grandchildren. They enjoy the Wilmington area and are incredibly pleased to have made the move. In the past she has been the Squadron's Assistant Treasurer.

Otis retired as Faculty Chair for Business, Management, and Public Administration at Rio Salado College and continues as a faculty member in the School of Public Affairs at Arizona State University where he teaches Public Sector Leadership online. For over 25 years he has taught classes in entrepreneurship, business statistics, human resources, public leadership, and a wide variety of management courses in both the community college and university setting. Before joining academia, he created and ran two companies. One in the advertising and public relations arena and the other in strategic planning for large family-owned companies. His entrepreneurial career spanned over 21 years and his academic career has continued for an additional 25 years. The family includes his wife Barbara, son Robert and daughter Heather. Between the son and daughter, there are 5 grandchildren. Three are in Minneapolis and two are in Palmyra, VA. His boat is a completely rebuilt classic 22’ Shamrock inboard named Potential II. Barbara and Otis moved to Wilmington permanently in 2016 after retirement but have been traveling here regularly since 2011 to visit grandchildren and family. His local interests include boating on the NE Cape Fear River and the ecology of the river environment as well as the history of the Cape Fear area. He received the grade of Piloting in 2019. Otis and Barbara joined the squadron in 2017 and Otis has served as Member Involvement Chair (1-year), Administrative Officer (1-Year), Executive Officer (1 year), and Commander for 2 years. 2022 is his 3^rd year as Commander.

Steve retired from the U.S. Army in 1998 and later from the Department of the Interior where he worked in the information security field. Steve and his wife, Susan, moved to Wilmington in late 2011, both now retired. With a deep love of the water, Steve bought his first boat in 2001 and has been active in boating organizations ever since. You may find him on his boat, Forever Dreamin’. He joined our Squadron in 2012 and is a Certified Instructor and a Senior Navigator. He also was the Squadron's Treasurer. While enjoying their boat, Steve and Susan live by one basic rule: The Captain makes all the important decisions; the First Mate decides which decisions are important!

Meg learned to sail at as a teenager at Camp Westminster on Higgins Lake, MI and raced on 470s at the University of Michigan. Throughout her career as an environmental engineer at a consulting firm, she and friends vacationed by bare-boat chartering with sailboats in the Caribbean islands. In 1997 she attended the Chapman School of Seamanship in Stuart, FL and earned her USCG 100-ton Captain license. In 2000 she sailed across the Atlantic Ocean with 4 friends on a 50-foot sloop. She recently bought a 40-foot Endeavor sailboat, Détente, and enjoys sailing out the Masonboro Inlet. Meg is a member of the District 27’s Navigator or “N” club and cherishes the comradery of the Cape Fear Sail & Power Squadron. She was part of the Kids and Boating class at the Wildlife Expo and enjoys coordinating the ABC course. She has participated in many of the Squadron courses and is a Certified Instructor. Meg moved to Wilmington in 2011 to be closer to her parents who retired here in 1992.

Rafael is a retired high school teacher from the state of New York. He was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, near the National Historical Monument, “El Morro”, or “El Castillo de San Felipe”.In his early years, Rafael lived in Berlin, Germany, where he learned to swim in the famously known Olympic Pool. He moved on to live in Atlanta, GA at the start of the civil rights movement, and then settled for a time in Seattle, WA, where his elementary school was chosen to inaugurate the Space Needle at the 1962 World Fair. After all the adventures of living around the world, Rafael’s family settled in the Bronx, NY, during his high school years, and then went on to attend InterAmerican University of San German, Puerto Rico, where he earned a BS in Education. After completing his college education, Rafael went on to join the United States Marine Corps where he spent 10 years working as a Communication Officer, earning a PADI certification in scuba diving and an advanced Red Cross Certification in sailing. Upon completing his time of service, Rafael became a special education teacher back in the Bronx, NY, and then continued his teaching career in New Rochelle, NY. After spending thirty years as a teacher, he retired and moved to Wilmington, NC where he has lived for the past five years.Rafael has four lovely daughters and three grandchildren. He enjoys fishing, boating and all other facets of nautical life. He is an avid environmentalist, concerned with the preservation of nature (especially our oceans!), and dedicates his free time to the education of how communities can take part in helping the Earth on which we live. 

Jennifer moved to Wilmington in 2018 after serving in the United States Army. As an active-duty soldier, she was last stationed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center as a Combat Medic/Healthcare Specialist/EMT. She graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences and is currently a Graduate Student at UNCW completing a master’s degree in Healthcare Administration and Management. Jennifer and her husband Rocky joined the Cape Fear Sail & Power Squadron in May 2021 to learn about boating and safety. They enjoy spending time with their four children Seairra, Zoe, Sophia, and Rocky II in their first boat, a 19’ Sea Ray named Zophia.

Al was born and raised in San Francisco. He retired from the United States Air Force after 36 years of active and reserve duty as a C5 Galaxy Flight Engineer. Al’s civilian career was in law enforcement and he retired after 30 years as a Special Agent in Charge with the California Department of Justice. Al and his wife Barbara moved to North Carolina in 2013 to be close to their grandchildren and currently reside in Carolina Beach. He became a Cape Fear Sail & Power Squadron member in 2017 and currently enjoys doing Vessel Safety Checks as one of the Squadron’s Vessel Safety Examiners. Al previously owned a 19-foot Glastron boat but hopes to one day buy a boat and cruise the Intracoastal Waterway.

Ron retired to Wilmington after selling his business in Long Beach, CA, LINK Business Brokers. Ron was in the business brokerage business for 22 years. He got into the business after he wasted 3 years trying to buy a business because he couldn't find a good broker. Previously he was President of White-New Idea Farm Equipment Company, a tractor and farm equipment manufacturer for 11 years. The company got bought by a German company, Deutz-Fahr who Ron’s company built tractors on an OEM basis. He took his severance package and moved to California because he had always wanted to boat on the West Coast. Previously he was VP of Engineering for a Black & Decker division after coming up through the engineering ranks. Ron is a Mechanical Engineer with an MBA. He has 3 daughters and one son that gave him 11 grandkids. His wife Dawn has 2 sons and 6 grandchildren for a combined total of 17 grandkids between them. His son Jake, lives in Baton Rouge and has a Carver 430 Cockpit Motor Yacht. Two of his daughters are in the teaching profession, one has a Ph.D. and is a school principal in St. Louis, and the other teaches Hospital Management in San Antonio, TX. His oldest daughter retired from being a Parole Officer and is now a business broker in St. Louis. Ron is also our Boating Activities Chair. You may see him on a cruise on his boat, La Bella Vita.  

Chuck and Janis Eldridge moved to Hampstead in 2015 after the sale of their sign company in Philly. Chuck was born in Washington, DC, and cruised, fished, and sailed every Friday-Monday, March to Thanksgiving on the Chesapeake Bay from 1965-1984. He bareboat chartered various sailboats from West Palm to the Bahamas and some similar Caribbean voyages. They have 4 adult children and 2 grandkids. Their Hampstead home is their twelfth home in the last 30 years, so they had to quickly learn to navigate different waters across the country. Chuck passed the Piloting course when basic boating was Piloting in 1972. He is an active VSE Examiner. Chuck acquired his USCG Operator’s License (6-PK) in 2020. He primarily teaches safe boating on the water and fills in time with fishing charters on their 2004 22’ Proline Center Console. Chuck and Janis are both Virginia Tech Alumni. They are highly active Board members of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). They co-instructed the Basic Boating course in ‘86-’88 as active members of the Northern Virginia Sail & Power Squadron.