Lue English, President
Lue Thorn English, a Monte Sano native who was born on what is now Wildwood Drive, was a crisis response counselor. She also spent over thirty years as a business manager and consultant for medical offices. During her career, she gained experience helping individuals and businesses navigate the health care system. Lue served on the Board of Directors of Inside Out Studio, Pathfinder, Monte Sano Civic Association, and the Monte Sano Art Show. She assisted in developing a system for transitioning frail and at-risk members to appropriate levels of care, and other programs to help members remain in their homes. Lue and Bill have three sons and four grandchildren. She is also the author of the book Monte Sano Wildflowers, and she has a spreadsheet of Monte Sano Wildflowers on Montesano.org.
Pam Patrick, Volunteer Coordinator
Having moved frequently in her youth, Pam has cultivated strong mountain roots and can't imagine living anywhere else! She and Bill moved to Huntsville in the 1970s with their three daughters. Monte Sano is home. Pam taught at Martin Luther King, Monte Sano, and Hampton Cove elementary schools before working with student teachers at UAH. She is a charter member of the Monte Sano Community Garden. Pam has volunteered with La Leche League International, and served on the Board of Directors of Friends, Inc. Pam loves to read, garden and hang out with her family. She and Bill have 7 grandchildren who all live on the mountain. She is excited to help launch Monte Sano Village and to watch it grow to enrich the lives of mountain residents.
Elsie Peterson, Secretary and Membership Intake Director
Elsie Peterson is a twice-over Monte Sano resident. She grew up on the mountain in the 50’s and 60’s and returned here in 1999. As a stay-at-home mother, she led various scouting groups and taught everything from Sunday school to children’s art classes. Elsie has worked for Kids on the Block in both Decatur and Huntsville, first as a volunteer and later as an employee, and also worked as an Occupational Therapy Assistant. Now retired, Elsie admits to being a woman of many interests. She works on behalf of Monte Sano Village, volunteers at Burritt on the Mountain, maintains a love of the arts in general, and continues her membership in the Huntsville Master Chorale. Elsie and her husband Ed Baggott often play music for various contra-dance groups around the Southeast.
Alan Petroff, Treasurer
Alan was born in Canada (as was his wife Patricia Sammon) and has lived on the mountain since 1981 with their 4 long since grown up kids. This is such a fine place to live, and we would both like to help make it easy for people to live here, whatever their age. Alan, long since naturalized, studied electrical engineering at Cornell University and has spent his entire career with startups. He retired in 2020 and has been enjoying gardening, fixing up their home, playing bridge, traveling and visits with friends and relatives (as much as one can these days).
Cathy White, Member at Large
A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Cathy moved to Huntsville in 1975 after graduating from college with a degree in mathematics and a minor in computer science. She worked in flight software throughout her 35-year career at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. She, her husband Bob, and their 6-month-old daughter moved to Monte Sano in 1990. Cathy values the Monte Sano community and as a village volunteer enjoys the opportunity to get to know more of her mountain neighbors and help them out wherever she can. In addition to volunteer activities, Cathy enjoys digging in the dirt (trying to keep the yard and vegetable garden under control) and accompanying Bob playing old-time tunes on their front porch.
Dana Bathurst, Member at Large
Growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dana remembers summer art classes at Philbrook Art Center. Moving here, she found the active and varied arts community highly appealing. She has called Monte Sano home for 42 years; her son Curtis was born here, studied art in Alabama, and now works as Lead Designer for a company in Seattle. Dana worked many years as a technical writer and editor for NASA contractors and for a few years as a freelance writer and editor before attending UAH to update her teaching certificate in both art and English. After teaching K-12 art at New Hope School in Madison County, she transferred to the newly forming Catholic High School in Huntsville, serving as the first art instructor at that school. Setting up the department was fun and helping her students discover the talent they had was rewarding. She retired in 2007, and while caring for her husband through his illness, she taught art in her home studio to small groups of women who still wanted to learn to create art. It was marvelous to see the achievement each of these ladies made as they studied. Dana's students from Catholic High School and, later, her students on Monte Sano participated in the Monte Sano Art Show for 13 years, beginning with the very first show.
Through one move; big-deal basement waterproofing preparations; and two, 6-week long recoveries from surgery, Dana has experienced firsthand the love and wide-ranging help provided by Monte Sano Village volunteers. They are all angels.
Rusty Bynum, Membership Intake Director
Texas native Rusty Bynum moved to Monte Sano in 1980, a happy transplant from the wild west. Her three children grew up as “mountain kids,” and still enjoy the title. A professional writer for 40+ years, Rusty is grateful for Monte Sano’s vibrant community of artists. She considers the friendship and support of fellow writers to be sustenance for the creative life. Her writing has included business communications, stage plays, and novels. Rusty has been a volunteer for organizations from 4-H, to Hospice, to a day care center for Alzheimer’s patients. She has served on the Boards of Directors for the Huntsville/Madison County Senior Center and Therapy Partners of Huntsville, Inc.
Frances Cerro, Social Director
Frances Cerro was born in Wisconsin. She earned a degree in Psychology from St. Catherine’s College in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was a member of Minnesota Dance Theater, and performed and taught in the Midwest, Jacob’s Pillow, and Spoleto, Italy. She and her husband Ramon moved to Argentina, where they had three children, a dance school and a performing dance company. Back in the US, Frances and family settled in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Frances taught in the Lincoln Center Institute and volunteered in the Tulsa schools. In 1998, the Cerros made their home on Monte Sano. Frances has volunteered at Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville Botanical Gardens, and Children’s Rehabilitation Service. She has also served as a Spanish interpreter for North Alabama agencies. Frances and Ramon return to Argentina for annual visits.
Connie Burns, Contractor Director
Born in Biloxi, MS, Connie moved to Huntsville at age 6. In college she studied graphic arts and has had a wealth of experience in many fields including a print layout designer, a dark room photography tech, an electronics troubleshooter, a museum guide and researcher. Her interests include reading, especially history and biographies; old houses and cemeteries; gardening (Master Gardener class of 1999); and just about any kind of music. Connie moved to Monte Sano in 2011. She has four children and nine grandchildren (two of these live on the mountain) and enjoys her many friendships on Monte Sano with some dating back to school days. An active volunteer in various organizations Connie feels that Monte Sano Village is a perfect fit for her. "I get to meet and help my neighbors and they in turn become friends whose company I enjoy at the many activities and social events we have in our community."
Maggie Little, Social Director
As an 18-year Monte Sano resident, Maggie Little describes herself as “fairly new to the neighborhood.” Huntsville’s been Maggie’s home since her family moved here in 1959. She’s been a teacher of elementary and high school levels. She is a lifelong artist, and a dynamic community activist. She helped start Huntsville’s first Hospice and served on its Board of Directors. She was a co-founder of the Huntsville Land Trust. She served for six years on the Aids Action Coalition Board of Directors.
Maggie is not a newcomer to Monte Sano Village. In the Village’s earliest days, Maggie and her husband Buddy were key participants in Monte Sano Village's grand opening to the community: the Monte Sano Village 2016 Gala. She and Buddy are both members of Monte Sano Village who also enjoy being active volunteers.
Carole Wiles
Carole and Kirk Wiles moved to Monte Sano in 1986 and raised their two sons here. Carole taught English for 31 years. In Huntsville she taught at Grissom, Huntsville High, and Randolph. When the family moved to Georgia for Kirk’s job, Carole taught in a middle school there for ten years.
After retiring, Carole and Kirk moved back to Monte Sano. Carole was invited to train on the Village Call Committee. Serving on this committee has reinforced her conviction of how essential Monte Sano Village is. She is committed to helping the Village thrive as a community of friendly neighbors who help each other in their daily lives.
Carole and Kirk have two sons and three grandchildren. Carole enjoys playing duplicate bridge, reading, walking, and spending time with their three grandchildren.
Ginny Navarro
Ginny, born and raised in New York City, has had a diverse life as an Army wife, living throughout the U.S., including in Huntsville, as well as in Germany. She is now delighted to call Monte Sano home. In addition to her role as an Army wife, Ginny worked as an Army librarian for the U.S. Army Library Program, which brought her back to Huntsville in 2004. After retiring in 2016, she enjoyed spending more time with her three grandchildren, including summer days at the Monte Sano pool. In 2018, she moved to what she considers the best neighborhood in Huntsville and purchased her 'mountain cottage,' where she can indulge in hiking, swimming, and biking. Ginny’s days and evenings are filled with volunteering for Monte Sano Village, Burritt on the Mountain, the Makos swim team, and enjoying the variety of live music Huntsville has to offer. She has found the combination of outdoor activities and volunteering in our community very fulfilling and rewarding.