Meet the Board of Directors

Jeff McManus, President

Jeff McManus has lived in Wyoming and been a part of ranching his entire life. Jeff joined the NSFWA in 2009, while attending that year’s convention held at West Yellowstone Montana. With his wife Barb, he owns a small collection of teams and wagons. His efforts in this organization are to encourage us all to preserve our history and knowledge of horse-drawn transportation.

McManus

Rawhide Johnson, Vice President

Ranch raised in Montana and Idaho, Rawhide grew up driving teams and fixing wagons as a normal days work. In Rawhide's youth, his father gave stagecoach rides commercially. This background, along with a love of stagecoach history, has led him to the teaching of ideas and techniques of stagecoach conservation and restoration. Through these concepts he hopes to help preserve the visual and reality of each vehicles history.

Rawhide serves on several boards, does independent consulting and currently is the Chairman of the Board for the Yellowstone Historic Center.

 

 

 

 

Jerry Palmer, Treasurer 

Born and raised in southeast Kansas in Coffeyville, home of the semi-famous Dalton gang bank robbery, Jerry Palmer worked for Farmland Industries for 35 years.
Jerry grew up driving motorcycles and fast cars. After several years of foaling and raising babies from a couple of Quarter horse mares, he and his wife Linda now see the countryside at 4 mph behind a team of stout little Haflinger geldings. The Palmers are now retired and live in Southwest Missouri. They have an original Springfield farm wagon and a couple of Studebaker buggies that they enjoy driving to church occasionally.
Jerry enjoys learning the mechanics of the old wagons and their transition to automobiles and looks forward to continuing his education of wagon history while serving the members of the NSFWA.

 

Julie Williams, Secretary

A retired Battalion Chief from the Springfield, MO Fire Department, Julie Williams spent 25 years in fire service, with half of that as an officer. A lifelong resident of Republic, Missouri, Julie assists her husband with the operation of their small farm, which she admittedly complicates with too many animals, too large of a garden, honeybees, and lots of projects and ideas for her husband’s to-do list. She also works part-time in a Greenhouse complex.

Julie and a close friend founded the “Back to School Blast Horse Show” which became the largest multi-day youth horse show in the surrounding states. Through service on many boards and committees along with smaller clubs and projects, Julie also held offices in the firefighters’ union and has run saddle and 4-H clubs. She served as director of the Missouri National Barrel Horse Association (NBHA) and has produced countless barrel races over the past 20 years.

The Williams family has ridden and shown horses, rodeoed, and barrel raced all over the United States. They now have a team of Percherons and a couple of small wagons. Through NSFWA, Julie hopes to meet lots of great people while learning more about wagons, harnesses, and teams.

 

Cameron Bean

I was raised with horses and buggies and had my first pony at three years of age. From the 3rd-8th grades I rode horses to school, and as a special treat we were allowed to take dad’s Velie buggy on the first and last day of school. At ten years old, I built my first chuck wagon out of an old hack, pulled by a single horse. I am no wheelwright, but I have some experience repairing and shrinking tires!
 
We started collecting wagons, buggies, and sleighs in the mid 1960s. For years, we have given wagon and buggy rides, and participated with them in weddings, parades and displays. We host the chuck wagon at two annual events: a horse sale and a heifer sale. I have been an Owyhee County Museum board member, am active in historical events and fundraising, and was very excited to find the NSFWA - a fine organization with very knowledgeable people. I am happy to help in any way I can.

Frank Burkdoll

 

Doran Degenstein

Doran was born and raised in Southern Alberta. From the age of three and throughout his life he has ridden and driven horses. During his career in financial management, tourism, and heritage management, he maintained a cow/calf operation in earlier years and commercial driving horses in later years. He is an avid teamster, wheelwright, wainwright and collector of horse-drawn vehicles.

He has a keen interest in transportation history, the North West Mounted Police, fur trade history, and Blackfoot tribal history and traditionalism. He has served on numerous boards in various capacities, currently as President and Managing Director of Fort Whoop Up Interpretive Society, which operated Fort Whoop Up National Historic Site for over 42 years, until 2015.

In 2016 he was invited to join the board of the National Stagecoach and Freight Wagon Association, sharing their vision and ideals.
Doran and his wife Tara reside in Lethbridge County where they maintain four teams of draft horses for pleasure and commercial purposes, and repair and build wheel and horse drawn vehicles.

Patrick Goodknight

The first farm wagon I obtained was at an auction for $50 when I was 11 years old, and I've been ate up with them ever since. Being raised in Southwest Missouri gave me the opportunity to get to know plenty of old timers who owned, bought and sold teams and wagons for a living as well as pleasure.

For a real job, I'm a small-town financial advisor for a national firm. With help from sons Trevor & Walker, I run a small horse ranch as well as crop farm 100 acres. In her spare time, my daughter Charley assists the local barrel racing circuit. 

I am excited to be a part of a great association of wagon and stagecoach enthusiasts and hope to make a contribution to preserve and protect the traditions of early wheeled transportation and the trails that were used to settle America.

Doug Hansen, Advisor to the Board

Doug Hansen is founder & owner/operator of Hansen Wheel & Wagon Shop, established in 1978. Doug has worked as a wainwright and wheelwright since that time, specializing in the building and restoring of heavy wagons and wheels. Doug has made a point of researching and studying the original, authentic vehicles and performs all his work with special attention to following the original design and detail - to produce only authentic, quality workmanship.

His fascination with horse drawn vehicles brought about self study of their designs and qualities. He truly believes that traditional wagon making and its methods are his connection with the original artisans of the past, and his inspiration comes from the study of their work.

Doug’s primary interest is in the realm of the western vehicles that traveled across the prairies of Dakota Territory, as well as the heavy commercial vehicles that kept our nation supplied. Iconic American vehicles such as stagecoaches, chuck wagons, freight wagons, and hitch wagons combine to make up his largest area of study.
Examples and contributions of Doug’s work can be found in private collections, museums & corporate holdings. His company and its products have been featured in numerous articles, and have been displayed nationally and internationally.

Doug’s reputation and experience has led to consulting work, evaluations, workshops, and speaking engagements, that he enjoys doing all across the country.
Also a cofounder of the NSFWA.

Ashlee Ganoung, Event Coordinator

Ray Stokes

NSFWA Board member Pastor Raymond L. Stokes, age 80, of Sidney, NE passed away on October 16, 2019. He was a loving dad, grandpa and friend who touched many lives with his old west, mountain man an historian way of life. He was always willing to help the NSFWA, brought many great ideas to the organization and will be greatly missed.

In Memorium

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