Note: These statements were written in the years these members were nominated to the Vestry. Return to Vestry Page.
Tom Angell (2018–2021)
I was born in California in 1942 and was raised there, close to Stanford University, where my family regularly attended the non-denominational Memorial Church on campus. I left for college in 1959 and, for the next decade, studied first in Harvard College, where I was active in Memorial Church, serving finally, as Head Usher. There we were treated to annual visits of important preachers like Reinhold Neibhur and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After earning advanced degrees at the University of Michigan, I came to Newark, Delaware in 1969 where I have taught Mathematics and helped to raise four children, all of whom now reside in California. I joined the congregation of the Cathedral Church of St. John in Wilmington, where I served on the Altar Guild and as an usher. There I also served, for several years, on the Vestry, and in the final two years as Senior Warden. When the Cathedral closed in 2012, I was grateful for the invitation to come to the Church of Saints Andrew and Matthew which, in so many ways, continues to carry out the ministries that were such an integral part of the Cathedral mission. Here at SsAM, I briefly served a partial term on the Vestry and have helped with both the Liturgy Committee as well as with the preparation of Lectors. I look forward to serving a full term as a Vestry member and to helping our congregation continue its vibrant and important mission in the community as we carry our message of love in Christ to our to our own congregation, to our community, and, beyond, to the world.
Rachel Gaskell (2018–2021)
Originally from New York City, I have been living and working in the Wilmington area for the last 26 years. Married to Paul Gaskell, I am raising two spirited children, both baptized at SsAM. I was originally introduced to the SsAM community by my mother, Lucia Robinson, in the early 2000s. The kids have roles within the church as an acolyte and an usher. Professionally, I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry for over 25 years, most recently as the Director and Department Head of Clinical Operations and Biometrics, AstraZeneca Antibiotics Business Unit. My proven track record in leading drug development programs and assembling high performing teams, has led to the submission and approval of multiple drugs, including orphan and novel antibiotics.
John Goodill, M.D. (2020–2023)
My wife, Sherry, and I have been members here at SAM since 2012. I previously served on the Vestry 2015-2018. Sherry and I live in Wilmington where we raised two daughters. Both are grown now and live out of state. We also have a two-year-old grandson. I have been a practicing physician in the Wilmington area for over 30 years, initially as a Pulmonologist / Critical Care specialist and more recently as a full time Palliative Care specialist for Christiana Care. Since joining SAM, I have enjoyed becoming a member of our community. In fact, that is the main reason I attend church regularly. I believe in our approach to community with its inclusion, diversity, and participation. I have come to care deeply for the people who make up the SAM community. With our current challenges (and they are not negligible), I believe our community will meet those challenges with honesty, integrity and solidarity to allow us to continue and flourish as a community of faith in downtown Wilmington.
Patty Greene (2018–2021)
My name is Tesa-Patrice Greene, better known as Patty. I was born in Antigua, which is a beautiful island in the Caribbean. I am a cradle Anglican with a Catholic education. In Antigua, I was a member of the St. Andrew’s church, which is why I initially chose SsAM as my new church home. I customarily attend the 10:30 am service with my active and vast family. Since we’re heavily involved in sports, nearly every weekend requires us to be on the road. The church played an active and important role during my formative years in Antigua. Whether for school or my home life, I was an always an active member. So it made sense that I was actively involved at SsAM. Jenna Christy and I currently lead the Usher ministry. As the head doorkeepers to this wonderful church, we look forward to strengthening, improving and growing this important ministry. I have dual MBAs in Finance and Marketing with over ten years of higher education experience working in the areas of Student Affairs and Athletics at Wilmington University. I’m also the Student United Way advisor there. Our service projects have impacted more than 500 adults and 2,000 children within the community. I also oversaw the implementation of the Education through Peace Initiative which consisted of an interactive program that addressed bullying and behavioral issues affecting elementary students (K-5); and won the 2015 Student United Way Worldwide Promising Practice Education Award for our volunteer work in the Education through Peace Initiative. I chose SsAM because of its name but I stayed because of its mission. The Anglican Church has not always been welcoming to everyone, but SsAM is on a mission to find ways to relate to the plurality of cultures within our community. I want to help foster that change. It is an honor to be considered for the Vestry.
Patrica Hackett Cunningham Hampton
I was born in Wilmington, the second of eight children, and grew up in the South Wilmington Projects, 1945-1958. I have one daughter from my first marriage and gained a stepson when I married Lionel Hampton in 1981. We are the proud grandparents of four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.
I graduated with the historic Howard High School Class of 1957, have taken extension classes at the University of Delaware, but most of my education has been on the job. Starting right out of high school, I worked for eleven years for three different non-profits. Then, from 1971 to 2000, I served the City of Wilmington as Homestead Program Director; in the Personnel Department; in the Model Cities Program as a project coordinator, project manager, and director of training and employment; and as coordinator of rehabilitation projects in the Department of Licenses and Inspections and the Department of Real Estate and Housing under the Community Development Block Grant Program.
As a volunteer, I have served the Hilltop Civic Association, NAACP, Delaware King Memorial Foundation, Children’s Bureau, ACLU, YWCA, Peoples Settlement Association, American Cancer Society of Delaware, St. Michael’s Nursery and Day School, Black Man’s Development Center, United Way of Delaware, and Westside Family Health Care.
I started attending St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in 1954 as a member of their choir. I was baptized and confirmed in 1956 and never left. I have been a choir member, Sunday School teacher, youth advisor, altar guild member and director, young adult group member, licensed lay reader, eucharistic visitor, and graduated from the Education for Ministry Curriculum (EFM). I am a member of the Cursillo Movement in the Diocese of Delaware. De Colores!! I am a three-time veteran of the Disciples in Ministry curriculum and many other spiritual development experiences. I am a founding member of SsAM and will continue to work to build up the Kingdom of God here in the City of Wilmington and beyond.
In the Diocese of Delaware, I have served on the Diocesan Council, Standing Committee, and Commission on Ministry. I have attended General Convention as a delegate three times. In 1991, I was invited to represent the Bishop and Diocese in a month-long trip to Pretoria, South Africa hosted by the Rt. Rev. Richard Kraft and his wife, Phyllis. I attended their general synod, visited people in the townships and homelands; and spoke to women’s organizations associated with the Truth and Reconciliation Movement. I also had the privilege of having “High Tea” with Bishop Desmond Tutu at Bishop’s Court in Cape Town, South Africa.
Gary Jolly (2020–2021)
Gary Jolly was nominated by unanimous vote of the vestry and approved by the congregation to fill the unexpired term of Sam Lamptey, March 1, 2020 through June of 2021. Gary has been in the Episcopal Church for 18 years, having served in outreach ministries. Prior to that, he was a member of the Lutheran Church, and served as a youth group leader, on a finance committee, and on the vestry. He has been married to his wife Athena since 1981, and they have two adult children. Gary has a BS degree in engineering and an MBA in finance. He has been the president of two international companies and most recently was president of a precision machine shop with a focus on the U.S. Department of Defense.
Sharon Leyhow (2020–2023)
I love Saints Andrew and Matthew (SsAM) and its open, inclusive approach to its members and the community around it. I have been a member of SsAM since the two churches combined 24 years ago. During that time I have served as board chair for Delaware Futures, co-chair of Membership Development Ministry, and a member of the vestry. I am currently serving on the Finance Committee.
This is an exciting, yet challenging, time as we manage through being apart during this pandemic. I believe that during times of challenge it is more imperative that a good church focuses on meeting the spiritual needs of its current and long-term members. A good church also has to focus on revitalizing and attracting new members to ensure long term stability. SsAM has been a good church in the community for 24 years and we need creative and thoughtful ways to reach out to our members now during this unique time and again in the future.
If elected to serve, I hope to dedicate my time and talent to help SsAM continue to be a wonderfully diverse faith community, to be a vibrant place of worship for current and potential parishioners, and to build relations with people outside SsAM by sharing with them the many benefits of being an active member of SsAM.
I am a “cradle” Episcopalian and attend the 8:00 a.m. service. I have a BA degree in psychology from Smith College in Northampton, MA. and a Juris Doctor degree from Georgetown University School of Law in Washington, D.C. I am a member of the District of Columbia and Georgia Bar Associations. I recently retired from DuPont Legal Department. I serve on several non-profit boards including Delaware Hospice (Board Chair) and Trustee for the Loomis Chaffee School.
Mary Morgan (2019–2022)
Born, raised, and practiced Roman Catholicism until 2003, when I attended my first Palm Sunday service at an Episcopal Church, Calvary-Hillcrest. Since then, I have been an active Episcopalian; serving two terms on Vestry at Calvary-Hillcrest as a member at large, Jr. Warden, and Sr. Warden. My tenure as Sr. Warden was during the formation of the Brandywine Collaborative Ministries with The Church of the Ascension and Grace Episcopal Church. In 2016, I transferred to SsAM. After a short time of “just being”, I became involved with the ECW, and am currently the Clerk of the Vestry. At the Diocesan level, I have been appointed as the Church Periodical Club Co-ordinator and I served as the Clerk of the Diocesan Convention this past January. My hobbies include, but are not limited to, gardening, cooking, and, most recently, crocheting. I have quite a few nieces & nephews and it is my goal to crochet each of them a keepsake afghan. So far, I’ve made 34, and I’m still working on it!
Danny Schweers (2019–2022)
My father had a career in the U.S. Navy, so our family lived in nine places in the U.S. by the time we settled in San Diego, California. I received a BA in physics and philosophy from UCSD. A work-scholarship at the Navy Electronics Laboratory took me to Stanford University and MIT. I moved to Austin, Texas in 1970 to study philosophy and stayed in Austin for 30 years, working at the Fusion Research Center at first, but then changing careers to work on The Rag, an underground newspaper, and on other publications, finally becoming self-employed in typesetting and graphic arts. Active in photography, I published 13 editions of the Austin Book of Days calendar and served a term as president of the Texas Photographic Society. I became a Christian in 1976 thru a group associated with Intervarsity Fellowship. In 1983, I was baptized into St. David’s Episcopal Church, Austin, the Rev. “Dutch” Stolz’s first-and-only full-immersion baptism. That was in the Pedernales River! I led St. David’s Church, Austin, to build two houses for Habitat for Humanity, served on the vestry, and joined their staff as their director of communications. Barbara Henry and I were married in 1992, my third marriage, still strong! We moved to Arden, Delaware in 2000, me a trailing spouse. Here, I was briefly managing editor for Image: A Journal of Art & Religion. I became a freelance website designer. For four years, I served half-time as the communications coordinator for Westminster Presbyterian Church. For 11 years, I produced the Delaware Communion newspaper for the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware. I served on the board at Reach Academy for Girls and twice on the board of the Arden Club. I served the Village of Arden as its Town Secretary, as Chair of the Town Assembly (equivalent to mayor), and am still an officer of the village. Now mostly retired, I am currently chair of the Brandywine Photo Collective and teach a photography class at the Delaware Art Museum. I have maintained this website for many years and just recently started greeting people at the front door on Sundays. I look forward to the vestry at SsAM becoming part of my life and hope to see SsAM and the city continue to thrive.
Peggy Shane (2019–2022)
Born and raised in New York City, I married Ronald Shane in 1976 and transferred to Delaware with Avon Products in 1977. I obtained my master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Widener University and completed courses in Organization Development at the University of Pennsylvania. Over the next several decades, I worked in Philadelphia for Obermeyer, Rebman, Maxwell and Hipple (a law firm), Drexel University, Fidelity Bank, Betz Laboratories, US Healthcare, and Independence Blue Cross. After retirement from Independence Blue Cross, I spent the next nine years teaching a critical-thinking course in the Business Department at Widener University – University College. Four years ago, Ron and I decided to find a church home. God led us to SsAM. We reaffirmed our baptismal vows and I was confirmed in 2015. To learn more about SsAM and this faith practice, I volunteered to work in the archives with Cynthia Primo Martin, which led to my participation on the Organization and Design sub-committee of the Property Committee. I am an active member of the Episcopal Church Women ministry. I am part of the Pastoral Care team and I dabble in event planning. I am a step-mom, a nana to two grand-children, and a mentor.
Wanda G. Smith DDS
I came to SsAM in 1999 because, as a cradle Roman Catholic, I was looking for something different. My first visit left me wanting more of what I received, and so I came back again, and then never left. I had found a church home. In this home I have found much to do. I have served on the Vestry before, but feel I have grown in the church since then. Serving on the Altar Guild, as a Eucharistic Minister, as a Lector, and attending Adult Education for many years have all been opportunities to learn and grow. I feel I now have something to offer. Recently retired from a 40-year career in dentistry, I still work part time for Sparkle Mobile Dental, a service that provides dental screenings and emergency exams in most nursing homes in Delaware. In addition, I care for Calvin, a 14-year-old black lab, the pet of my 35 year old son, who now lives and works in Los Angeles, California. Don’t tell my son, but Calvin has become my dog now…
Dan Young (2019–2022)
Dr. Dan Young is the Director of the Doctor of Business Administration Program at Goldey-Beacom College. He has also taught at Wilmington University, University of Delaware, West Chester University, and Temple University. Dr. Young is a graduate of the University of Delaware Honors Program in Business Administration and also has an MBA from UD with a concentration in Finance and Marketing. He attained his PhD in Social and Behavioral Marketing from Temple University and has served as a consultant for many of Delaware’s nonprofits in the area of generational engagement in giving. Dr. Young is a board member of the ACLU, a graduate of Leadership Delaware, a recipient of the Delaware Business Times Top 40 Under 40, and an entrepreneur who has had four business start-ups. Dr. Young can frequently be seen in church with his four well-behaved children. Dr. Young is the son of William and Anita Young, the nephew of Robert Young, and the grandchild of Charlene Simmons and the late William S. Young, Jr. and Cecile Young, all members of SsAM or St. Matthews.
About Vestry Elections
Vestry Members are elected at our Annual Meeting, held in June. The annual meeting includes reports from the Vestry and others of general issues and critical concerns. The meeting usually includes the Celebration of the Eucharist. The meeting is open to all members and friends of the parish. However, those eligible to vote in the elections and on actions before the meeting are those who meet the requirements set forth in Article 6 of the Parish By-Laws: qualified voters are persons who are baptized, at least 16 years of age, and have been an active and contributing member for at least the six months prior to the meeting.
Other Links
Vision Statement, Mission Statement
By-Laws of SsAM – Bylaws – By Laws
Respectful Communications Guidelines
Best Practices of Episcopal Vestries
