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GONIL Board Members
Caching Name: Badlands
First Name: Howard
What County do you live in:
When did you start caching: January 2, 2005
When did you join GONIL: August 19, 2006
Bio: I have been geocaching for five years, ever since a co-worker introduced me to the sport. I have been a part of the caching community here in Northern Illinois since 2007, when I attended my first GONIL picnic after moving here from Ohio. I've cached solo, in large groups and every size in-between--I enjoy caching for its own sake and also as time spent in the outdoors and with friends. I like hitting the trails to find ammo cans in the woods, solving puzzles for the coordinates for nanos in the city and most other facets of our hobby (except for logging caches on-line). As this year's GONIL Board President, I look forward to building the organization by encouraging member participation and involvement. A friendly face in the caching community I look forward to meeting and talking with anyone concerned with the future of the sport.
Vice President
Caching Name: DinaWorks
First Name: Dina
What County do you live in: Cook
When did you start caching: January 14, 2010
When did you join GONIL: January 25, 2010
Bio:I've lived in the Chicago area my entire life. I am married
and I have two young daughters. My husband and children cache with me every
once in awhile but, for the most part, they are just happy that I've found
something I really enjoy. Prior to becoming a geocacher, I would never have
described myself as "outdoorsy" and no one who knew me would either.
But something just clicked when I found Funny Names #1 by ShazamMan on January
14, 2010. I went on to have finds every day for my first 111 days and most
days since. I've now climbed trees and rocks, kayaked, snowshoed and swam
to find caches and have had many more "outdoorsy" experiences.
My motto is "cache and let cache!" I have no patience for people who criticize others for what they like or don't like about geocaching. Don't like lampskirts? Don't lift 'em! I, personally, love them, along with mind-twisting puzzles, ammo cans in the woods, events (big and small!), Whereigo's, multis, Earthcaches, virtuals, webcams . . . you get the idea. I love a good urban numbers run as much as a cache that takes all day to earn a single smiley. It's really become, for me, all about the relationships. This is the biggest reason I decided to run for the board. I think GONIL has tremendous potential to unite cachers in our region in ways that will benefit us all. The wealth of knowledge and history about geocaching that is available when cachers pool their resources is tremendous and, I think, GONIL's greatest asset. I look forward to serving as GONIL's Vice President this year and welcome input from members as to how the rest of the board and I can best serve you. You'll see me on the forums, at most local events and the occasional FTF run.
Caching Name: ShazamMan
First Name: Walt
What County do you live in: Cook
When did you start caching: July 1, 2007
When did you join GONIL: August 12, 2007
Bio: I started this wonderful activity due to a one-line blurb in the Garmin nüvi 660 manual that claimed my car GPS could be used for geocaching and I've been actively hunting caches ever since! I've cached in twelve states and one province and have found caches in five states in a single day. I love all types of caches from lamp skirt micros to ammo cans in the woods. Generally, it's not the containers I enjoy (unless they are unusually creative) but the journey to the container. One of the things I really love about geocaching is the camaraderie and good cheer I've encountered when meeting other cachers in the field and at events. There's not a nicer bunch of people you can find anywhere else! I'm also the co-host of The Chicago Geocacher Podcast, an irreverent and often explicit talk show covering geocaching in the Chicagoland area. Happy caching and I hope to meet you on the trail!
Caching Name: 2 CBR (If you want to know just ask)
First Name: Larry
What County do you live in: DuPage
When did you start caching: February 28, 2003
When did you join GONIL: June 6, 2005
Bio: I live out in the far Western suburbs.
I've been caching since 2003 and have been a member of
GONIL since it was formed in 2005.
I've found caches in 32 states plus Canada.
I'm looking forward to a fun, productive year.
Give a shout if you want to get together and find a few.
First Name: Mike
What County do you live in: Will
When did you start caching: January 19, 2007
When did you join GONIL: July 5, 2007
Bio: I joined this wacky little adventure that we do on January 19, 2007 and then
GONIL a little less then seven months later in July. Since then I have turned my job experience into a way to help the caching community by going around and educating people on Geocaching and the use of GPS units in education. I am a former Computer and Technology teacher but am now a Technology Director for a school district and an adjunct professor at Joliet Junior College and the University of St. Francis. Outside of my job and caching I am an avid movie lover and I also like to gathering as much useless knowledge that he can. Just ask my wife Closet Cacher Katie; she will tell you I am full of useless knowledge.
First Name: Lee
What County do you live in:
When did you start caching: August 3, 2007
When did you join GONIL: September 17, 2007
Bio: I'm married to Therese, and have three great kids. I'm 47 years old, got my first GPS on my birthday in 2007, and found my first cache the next day. As with a lot of cachers, it snowballed from there into this gargantuan addiction. I mostly enjoy deep woods caches, with long hikes and great scenery, but as the day wears down, there's always room for "just a couple more". I love a challenging puzzle that can be done ahead of time- but not really crazy about many-stage multi's, unless it's in an awesome setting. I'm no stranger to wanting to shoot for a "numbers run", always trying to top my personal best days. Highlights include the E.T.Highway series, 2 Moonshines, 3 GeoBashes, MOGA 2009, Pana IL country caching, Central IL county line caches and the Dandy Horse series. ....it doesn't take much persuasion to get me to go cachin'!
First Name: Bill
What County do you live in: Cook
When did you start caching: July 30, 2003
When did you join GONIL: June 19, 2006
Bio: This is my 2nd year as a board member and I am having a blast. I see great things for this organization and things will only getting better. I am a video gamer and I love useless trivia. I’ve always loved the outdoors and traveling and geocaching gives me a reason to get up on the weekend to see the world. In my opinion, the Garmin Oregon 450 is the best GPS ever created. Also, I am an active member of LEGS (League of Extraordinary Geocachers); if you ever want to join one of our weekly meet-ups, send me a message.
First Name: Mark
What County do you live in: Kankakee
When did you start caching: December 29, 2007
When did you join GONIL: January 6, 2008
Bio: I live in Bradley, IL and am married to Shelly and currently employed as an IT Manager for a major utility company here in Illinois. I have been geocaching for three years, which started after my family gave me a GPS as a holiday gift. It did not take long for me to find all the caches around Kankakee County and as I ventured out farther I got to meet some other cachers and see some new areas. I enjoy finding any kind of cache and like the different variety to mix it up a liitle. If you’re ever coming down to the Kankakee area and need a guide let me know.
First Name: Victor
What County do you live in: Cook
When did you start caching: June 21, 2006
When did you join GONIL: April 4, 2008
Bio: I'm married to Mary Ann and have 2 wonderful kids. I'm the imformatics pharmacist for a community hospital on the Southwest side of Chicago.
I started out caching with my family while on a vacation in 2006 to the Natioanal Parks out west. At the time we did almost only the virtuals. I started to look for physical caches about a year later & have been caching ever since. I like looking for all sorts of caches and get out whenever I can. One of the things I enjoy the most about caching is that it takes me to locations I never knew existed & probably would have never gone to on my own.
