Documentary Subjects

Darrel Tidaback

 Darrel Tidaback has been a part of the IUSB music faculty since 2002 and has 20 years of experience teaching at universities, including Notre Dame.  He received his undergraduate degree in music from Saint Mary’s University and a Master of Music from the University of Texas, San Antonio.  With thirty years of experience as a professional bassist, Tidaback has performed with numerous jazz stars in concert and at music festivals around the country.  In addition to teaching and performing, Tidaback also has been involved in audio recording and engineering since 1974.  He first was introduced to audio engineering by simply hanging out at recording studios and gaining what knowledge he could and taking on more responsibilities, as there were no classes in audio engineering at that time. From there he worked for an ad agency where he would not only write music commercially, but would also oversee the engineering of the project.   With 40 years experience as a sound engineer, he has seen audio engineering transition from manual to more digitized and automated work processes making him a noteworthy authority in the transformation of sound engineering into the digital age.

Steve Miller

  A life-long resident of Elkhart, Steven Miller has had a passion for automobiles for over 60 years that has gone from hobby to career and back to hobby, that has proved more than profitable in retirement.  He first developed an interest in cars at age four when his father gave him an electric car that he could drive on the sidewalks throughout Elkhart.  He soon began drag racing his buddy, who would ride his tricycle while Miller drove his electric car.  By age 14, he had received his first car, a 1953 Oldsmobile with a V8 engine, which he would drive in an open field at his uncle’s house until he crashed it into a tree.  During his late teens, he and his friends began restoring classic cars and he began drag racing throughout the Midwest.  After spending much of his adult life in the automobile sales industry and owning three different auto parts stores, Miller has retired and now restores classic cars full time.  His restorations have received numerous awards at car shows throughout the Midwest and have been purchased at auctions for well over $100,000.  Currently Miller is restoring a 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS and a 1933 Ford five-window coupe that he has built from the ground up.  With his experience Miller would serve as an authority figure in classic car restoration.

Michael Lacopo

 

 Veterinarian turned genealogist Michael Lacopo has his work cut out for him as he traces his mother’s family history.  His mother was an only child of adoptive parents, so Lacopo did not grow up with cousins or even aunts and uncles, but rather great-aunts and great-great aunts.  Naturally curious, he wanted to know exactly how everyone was related.  After learning that his great-grandmother was tragically killed in 1923 after an outhouse blew over on her during a storm, he became fascinated with stories of the past, launching his passion for family history and genealogy.   Wanting to know more about his mother’s biological family line, he spent much of his teenage years at the library, at times begging his mother for just one more death certificate to aide in his research.   The only starting point he had was that he was in search of a Miller somewhere in Goshen!  Twenty years later, he has found his maternal grandmother, but was recently shocked to discover that his maternal grandfather was neither her first nor second husband!  Throughout his research he has uncovered more than one of these skeletons in the closet moments with various twists and shocking turns.  With much perseverance and passion, Lacopo is quickly becoming a highly demanded lecturer in methodology research and specialized topics such as using tax records, DNA testing, or German archives in research.  He currently travels nationwide to lecture and do client research and is scheduled to do client research in Germany later this year as well, all while researching and trying to lift the veil that mystifies his own family history.