Here is a collection of renderings of the people who populate the Port Edgerton Chronicles series, in order of appearance, along with a thumbnail description of them. I hope you enjoy them!
Penelope “Nellie” Simpson.
The owner of the Bean and Gone Cafe, she is a self-reliant artist who was making a name for herself in the New Mexico art scene until she had to return to Port Edgerton to run the family business when her father fell ill. When her father didn’t recover and she realized she would have to stay, she gave the cafe its present name and, within its walls, maintains her southwest persona.
The Stevensen Boys.
Always the Bean and Gone Cafe’s first customers of the morning, these three brothers (L to R), Sven, Mark, and Lief, run the sawmill at the north end of town, where Zuider Creek meets Lake Wallapauseg. They always order the same breakfast, but like to peruse the menu first.
Larry Jameson.
He is the Bean and Gone Cafe’s steady, stalwart short-order cook. His consumate skills, culinary talents, and sense of humor are an invaluable aid to Penelope.
Peter Vandegelder.
President of the HAM Radio Operators Club, Station Manager of WPRTlp FM, the town’s low-power community radio station, and owner of the town’s sole computer store, “The Mouse That Roared,” Peter is a man who has made good in the computer industry (though he never mentions it), but has returned to Port Edgerton hoping to help ease it into the future without losing the charm he loves and missed while working in California’s “Silicon Valley” and New York City’s “Silicon Alley.”
Stanislaus “Stash” Worcyk.
Proprietor of Worcyk HVAC, whose motto is “Your Crap is Our Bread and Butter,” Stash is the town’s only licensed plumbing contractor. Always dressed in coveralls, he is a no-nonsense kind of man who does not suffer fools well and is not one to mince words.
Nathan Edward “Neddie” Anderson.
Part-time mayor of Port Edgerton as well as being the town’s dentist, “Neddie Boy” tends to be a little full of himself and is a bit of a martinet when it comes to the power of the office. Among his duties is officiating over the town’s Fall Festival main event, The Great Muskrat Ramble.
Mrs. Pederson.
The town’s secretary, the implacable, unflappable Mrs. Pederson, is seen here at her secretary’s desk ready to record the town meeting’s minutes. Known to many as the Great Stoneface, she is all business, with a droning voice that exudes bureaucracy.
Henry Auerbach.
Always maintaining the condescending Patrician air typical of the old timers of the Harbor District, Henry is the district’s councilman. He makes no attempt to hide his impatience with the other members of the town council. All in all, he’d much rather be fishing on Lake Wallapauseg than dealing with people, especially those he considers his inferiors.
Oscar Johnson.
Oscar is the President of the Port Edgerton Chamber of Commerce and the town’s sole C.P.A. As such, he literally knows everybody’s business. He is seen here at an emergency Town Hall meeting, raising a concern for the town’s businesses in response to a legal crisis facing the town.
Arthur Koenig.
Retired attorney and Councilman for the Heights District, Arthur Koenig takes any opportunity to turn whatever he is saying into an oration before the jury, and every inquiry into a cross-examination.
Archibald Van Alstyne.
Councilman for the Western District and the council’s parliamentarian, Archibald Van Alstyne, is firmly committed to proper procedure and is a stickler for detail. His abrasive voice, an artifact of his advanced age, is usually the final word on any debate, as he is invariably the council member who frames resolutions so thoroughly, all-inclusive, and in proper parliamentary language. He is seen here proposing just such a motion.
Greta Huffmeister.
Greta and her husband own Huffmeister’s Ale House and Brewery. But the Ale House—and especially the Ale House Kitchen — is her domain. As Chairlady of the Port Edgerton Muskrat Ramble Celebration Committee, Greta is also the face of one of the town’s most significant annual events. While beloved in the community, anyone who has worked under her knows that behind the sweet smile lies a woman who will not hesitate to confront incompetence.
Lionel Huffnagel.
The senior partner of the law firm of Huffnagel and Schwartz, the only law firm within the town itself, we see him about to explain the ongoing legal negotiations to the townspeople assembled at the town hall. He is smooth and confident.
Walter Schwartz.
The junior partner of the law firm of Huffnagel and Schwartz, he lacks the smooth panache of the senior partner. An anxious man to start with, we see him as he nervously shares bad news with the assembled townspeople and town council at a Town Hall Meeting.
Wolfgang “Wolfie” Bruegel and Julie Hoffstetter.
High school students Wolfie Bruegel and Julie Hoffstetter are the technical staff at Port Edgerton’s community radio station WPRTlp FM. Wolfie is the senior technical engineer. He also works part-time at The Mouse That Roared, Peter Vandegelder’s computer store. We see them here monitoring the live broadcast of the Town Hall meeting.
Heinrich and Dieter Huffmeister.
Heinrich, or “the Mister” as his wife, Greta, calls him, is Huffmeister’s brewmeister. Schooled in the arcane art of brewing, he is passing on the family secrets to their son, Deiter. They are seen here, discussing their latest batch of Christmas Ale.
Gretchen Van Beek.
Gretchen is a part-time student at Hadleyville Community College and a part-time waitress at the Bean and Gone Cafe. She is pleasant, efficient, and nobody’s fool.
The Bremer Boys.
The brothers Hans and Jan Bremer both work at Hammelmeyers Hardware store. We see them here waiting for the Hammelmeyers to finish arguing about what stock should be put out. Hans, on the left and the older of the two, knows it will eventually be his job to step in with a workable solution.
Brian Shultz.
The direct descendant of Jonathan Shultz, the founder of the Port Edgerton Watchman, Brian is the paper’s long-suffering publisher, editor, and steward, as well as the owner of Shultz’s Stationery.
He initially ran the print shop while his wife, Sally, was editor. Together, they formed a happy team, raising their children, Cynthia and Edgar, around the print shop. When Sally became ill and died, Brian had to pick up the pieces. He became the editor, hired a pressman, and is grooming his children to run the paper when his time comes.
Cynthia “Cindy” Shultz.
The older of Brian and Sally Shultz’s children, Cynthia is the face of Shultz’s Stationery and the Port Edgerton Watchman. She is particularly adept at handling customer relations, advertising, bookkeeping, and research.
A cheerleader back in high school, with a reputation for stealing other girls’ boyfriends, she was Penelope’s nemesis back then.
Edgar Shultz.
The younger of the two Shultz children, Edgar is the Port Edgerton Watchman’s chief – and sole – reporter. Known as a firebrand investigative reporter for Cornell University’s Daily Sun, his dogged pursuit of a story meant that he often seemed to manage to pour gasoline on a fire, especially when it came to Mayor Anderson.
Fritz Meyer.
Fritz is the town’s sole licensed electrician and the owner of Meyer Electrical. An amiable, ebullient man, he loves making a long story longer. We see him from Penelope’s side of the counter as he regales her with a tale of his last job before stopping for coffee.
Victor Matthews.
Port Edgerton Town Hall’s security officer. Victor is the kind of man who suspects everybody of hiding something.
Gregory “Greg the Ganja Man” MacDonald.
The Host of WPRTlp FM’s The Jamaican Hour, and wannabe Rastafarian, Greg “The Ganja Man” McDonald, is renowned for his expansive collection of Raggae, Highlife, Dub, and Juju recordings, which he regularly plays on his radio broadcasts. His father is Rusty “Panama Red” MacDonald.
Maureen Atchison.
Port Edgerton Library’s Head Librarian. Daughter of Dr. Alexander Atchison, the local hospital’s cardiovascular surgeon, she has a reputation for being one tough cookie. She is known for her ice-cold stare and sharp tongue, and her intolerance for anyone trying to pull a fast one. She is seen here in one of her better moods, sporting her new, more relaxed hairstyle.
Montgomery “Monty” Campbell.
Monty Campbell is Brian’s assistant. He runs the print shop end of the operation. Though twenty years younger than Brian, they are kindred spirits; both are inveterate tinkerers. A Scottish immigrant, one can hear the unmistakable Scottish burr whenever he speaks.
Dr. Thomas Standing Bear.
Tom Standing Bear, Dean of American Indian and Indigenous Studies in the History Department at Cornell University, and Edgar Schultz were roommates at Cornell, where they caused much mischief together. A linguistics and cultural practices expert, Dr. Standing Bear, and an archaeologist, Dr. Carl Jenkins, are often called upon to evaluate potential sensitive Native American sites.
Margot Marconi.
The youngest of the Marconi family, she hosts at Marconi’s, a family-run Italian restaurant, on the evenings that her mother stays home. She is bright, friendly, and efficient.
Anthony Marconi.
The bartender at Marconi’s, Anthony is Margot’s older brother. He and Edgar were schoolmates in elementary school though in different classes. Not necessarily the brightest man, he is nevertheless good-hearted and amiable, perfect traits for a bartender.
Dan “Doctor Dan” Jameson.
Director of Custodial Service at the Town Hall, Dan is not only Larry Jameson’s father, but he is also WPRTlp FM’s “Doctor Dan” of Doctor Dan’s Jazz Hour. A man who knows how to fade into the background while keeping his eyes and ears wide open, he is privy to many secrets of the inner workings of Town Hall. We see him sharing one of those secrets with Edgar.
Bob Shuster.
Ex-Staten Islander Bob and his wife, Judy, moved to Port Edgerton so he could take the position of vocational shop teacher after New York City cut funding for all its vocational programs. Licensed in several trades, including contractor, Bob soon became the go-to contractor in Port Edgerton.
Bill McIntire and Friedrich Holz.
Bill McIntire is the head technician for the Port Edgerton Fire Department. Friedrich Holz is the head technician for the Port Edgerton Emergency Medical Services unit of the hospital. We see them in the Highpoint radio shed, about to switch their communications to antennas on the Highpoint Tower.
Jake Ferguson.
The owner of Jake’s Service Center, he is the latest Ferguson to operate a gas station at this location, following in the footsteps of his ancestor, Ewan Ferguson, who converted the old stables into a service shop in the early 1900s. Even as a kid, Jake had always had the magic touch for anything mechanical. Back then, if somebody’s tractor broke down, folks would say, “Call the Ferguson kid and have him lay hands on it.” He is the father of Alana and Galvin Ferguson.
Vincent and Alice Edgerton, and Judy Shuster.
Vince, a descendant of the town’s founder, and his wife, Judy, have been sweethearts since they met as camp counselors. They are discussing real estate with Judy Shuster, Bob Shuster’s wife, who, in addition to running the Home Center, is the town’s only licensed realtor.
Alana Ferguson.
Jake’s Ferguson’s daughter, Alana, handles all the paperwork and bookkeeping for Jake’s Service Center, including any paperwork a customer might need. She is pleasant, funny, and observant. We see her looking up, about to greet Penelope as she enters to pick up her International Harvester Scout.
Gavin Ferguson.
Gavin is Jake Fergusons son, and works at the Service Center with his older sister, Alana. We see him undoing the tow chains from a gunmetal blue Jaguar XKE, whose driver ran into some difficulty while driving nearby
Skanda.
World-renowned Danish artist Skanda specializes in large-scale glass sculptures that incorporate technology. Skanda was stranded in Port Edgerton while awaiting repairs to his Jaguar XKE. Always dressed in black, he exudes an “artiste” over-the-top persona, especially when around Penelope, whose Southwestern style intrigues and excites him, so that he refers to her with Spanish endearments. However, who he is behind that “artiste” persona remains a mystery.
His ever-present traveling companion is “Macho,” a female brown and white Chihuahua
Henri Bergeron.
Henri is the owner of Today’s Man, the only men’s store in town. A former Quebecer with a decidedly continental flair, he fell in love with the daughter of a major Port Edgerton vintner whom he met while in college in Montreal. He relocated to Port Edgerton after they were married so she could run the business end of her father’s vineyard/winery.
Rusty “Panama Red” MacDonald.
Warm, open, and friendly, Rusty MacDonald is the proud proprietor of Rusty’s Remnants, a second-hand/consignment store. In addition to being Greg “The Ganja Man’s” father, he is also one of WPRTlp FM’s radio personalities, presenting his show, The Boots and Saddle Hour, under the pseudonym “Panama Red,” where he specializes in Western music.
Ava and Gert Hammelmeyer.
Ava, the Councilwoman of the Central District, and her husband, Gert, own Hammelmeyer’s Hardware Store. Constantly arguing, Ava’s voice gets harsh and shrill, while Gert’s deep voice booms across the landscape.
Roger Eddelston.
Veteran Vietnam corpsman turned top EMT at the local hospital, Roger is also a WPRTlp FM’s DJ for his show, “Roger’s Rock Emporium,” which he starts each Thursday morning in a tribute to famed military broadcaster, Adrian Cronauer, by opening the show with, “Gooood morning, Port Edgerton!” Here he leads the Vietnam veterans’ group in the town’s Veterans’ Day Parade.
Minerva Civetta.
An expatriate hippie who moved to Madrid New Mexico from San Francisco, Minerva runs a jewelry and trinkets store in Madrid’s Gypsy Plaza called the Owl’s Nest. During her college years, Penelope worked at the Owl’s Nest, perfecting her jewelry-making skills. Minerva soon became Penelope’s most trusted friend and confidante.
Maurice Hendricks.
Considered as old and craggy as the mountains surrounding Madrid, “Reese,” as he prefers to be called, is a member of one of the earliest waves of West Coast artists to move to Madrid, New Mexico. Maurice quickly adapted to his new environment, adopting a decidedly Southwestern style of dress and speech. One of the town’s elders, he is easygoing and affable, with an eye toward Minerva
