Meet the People
JACK BANNING - LAY LEADER
Jack Banning is currently a "gentleman farmer" in Dutchess County, New York. He and his wife Irene breed Black Welsh Mountain Sheep for meat and wool; raise Tamworth and Berkshire pigs for meat; raise chickens for eggs; and farm produce for local markets and restaurants. Jack and Irene have a son Karl Theodore who is a tenth grader at Millbrook School.
Jack graduated from Brown University in 1962 on a US Navy scholarship. He entered the Foreign Service after studying at the Foreign Service Institute in Washington and served tours of duty in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Manila, Philippines until 1967. Jack has managed political campaigns for office in the city and state of New York. He joined Time, Inc. in 1972 where he was Executive Vice President of a predecessor company of Time-Warner Cable.
For twenty years, Jack owned PosterAmerica, the first gallery in the United States devoted to antique posters. He established the highly regarded Ubu Gallery on New York's Upper East Side and opened Banning Gallery in Tribeca in 2001. In 2003 when he and Irene moved to Dutchess County, he opened Mabbettsville Gallery and kept it open for three years.
In 2011, Jack and Irene were honored at the annual fund-raising dinner of the Rural and Migrant Ministry. Jack was honored at the 2013 Grace Church Millbrook annual fundraiser for his work in establishing the Grace Latino Outreach Program. He is a former Trustee of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. He currently serves as a Director and Chair of the Development Committee of Episcopal Charities of New York.
LAWRENCE HITZEMAN
VESTRY
Lawrence (Larry) Hitzeman has attended Regeneration since 2004 when he became a weekender in Dutchess County. He graduated from Northwestern University and Illinois University School of Medicine. His thirty-year medical practice in New York City has been affiliated with Cabrini Hospital, St. Vincent’s Hospital, Rivington House, Village Care, and currently, NYU. Larry is beginning another 3-year stint as Senior Warden for the Vestry of Regeneration and is devoted to volunteering one Saturday a month at the thrift shop.
FRANCES OLIVIERI
VESTRY
Frances (Fran) Olivieri is a former special education teacher and a retired lawyer. She moved with her husband to Gallatinville in the 1990s and joined Regeneration in 2004. She has served several terms on the Vestry and also volunteers in the thrift shop.
MACK CALDWELL
MUSIC
Mack has studied piano and organ with a number of teachers in Athens Georgia, Boston and New York City. He started playing at Regeneration in 2005 soon after his partner, Larry, began attending. Mack is consistently impressed with the breadth of the congregation’s repertoire and its familiarity with the 1982 Hymnal. Mack graduated from the University of Georgia, Tulane University and Boston University School of Law. He practiced structured finance law in his 25-year career.
MARIGO BRANDT
VESTRY, CO-TREASURER
Marigo joined Regeneration in 1989 when her friend Pat Bossolini brought her to church one Sunday. Since then, she has served frequently on the Vestry and currently shares the duties of Treasurer. She volunteers for Sunday coffee hour, serves on the Altar Guild, arranges flowers, and bears the chalice during Sunday worship. For years, Marigo spearheaded an annual yard sale that was a well-received community event. She was instrumental in converting the yard sale into the thrift shop and she manages it with a crew of dedicated volunteers from Regeneration and the community of Pine Plains. Marigo lived in Middletown, New Jersey until she met her husband, John, of 55 years. They have two daughters, two granddaughters and two great granddaughters of whom they are very proud.
PENELOPE WHEELER
VESTRY, CLERK
Penny has lived in Pine Plains since 1987. She and her late husband, Harry, have been members of Regeneration since 1990. Harry was baptized at Regeneration as a child. Penny has held many positions at Regeneration over the years. She has been both Junior and Senior Warden, and is currently Clerk of the Vestry, and a member of the Altar Guild. She was educated in England, and came to the United States in 1961. She became a citizen of the United States in 1986. She has a son living in Ithaca, a daughter living in Rhinebeck, two granddaughters and a grandson. Penny has two labradors who demand daily walks. She belongs to the Pine Plains Garden Club, volunteers at the Pine Plains Free Library and devotes a couple of hours each month to the local food pantry that is sponsored by the Council of Churches.
MARY NETTER PHILLIPS
VESTRY, CO-TREASURER
Mary Netter Phillips is a life long member of Regeneration. She has served on the Vestry in various capacities and has been a Sunday school teacher. She is presently a member of the Altar Guild, is a chalice bearer and volunteers at Regeneration’s thrift shop. She is a social worker now retired from the NYS Office of Children and Family Services where she worked with at risk youth. Mary and her husband, John, live in Kinderhook.
