Tanner Elliott's presentation is entitled "Stepping into History: The World of Civil War Reenacting". Without giving away too much Tanner will talk about assuming the identity of an actual Civil War soldier and participating in various Civil War Reenactments around the country like the one held at Midway Village each year.
Tanner joined Rockford Rotary on February 26th of this year and has the distinction of being the youngest member of our club.
He received a bachelor's degree from Rockford University in 2021 and an MBA in Organizational Leadership in 2023. While attending RU he worked part time as a Delivery Specialist at Home Depot and as a Prairie Restoration Technician for the Rockford Park District. During his time at RU, he was also a Resident Hall Director and Esports Director. In July of 2024 he worked full time and the Senior Advancement Officer at Rockford University. In October 0f 2025 he began work as the Development Manager at the Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity. In July of this year, he was offered a position "he couldn't turn down" and began working for Rockford Lutheran School as the Advancement Coordinator.
We all heard about Tanner's Eagle Scout project which was to build a handicap accessible platform at Harlem High School football stadium for his friend who could not watch football or soccer because he was confined to a wheelchair.
This will be an interesting and informative program about not only the history of the Civil War but an inside look at what goes into being a reenactor. This will also be an opportunity to bring a guest or prospective to join us in person at Memorial Hall or via Zoom.
Dave Byrnes who has some experience as a historian will introduce our presenter and act at Rotary host.