Mary Kathryn and Bill McIntosh

Mary Kathryn and Bill met on their first day at the College of William and Mary.  Their relationship progressed over the next four years, and they were married in December of 1966.  Bill served twenty-six years as an Army officer with postings in Germany, Vietnam, Iran, and at West Point as a Professor of English and Art History. During his military career Bill earned both M.A and PhD degrees from the University of Virginia. He also authored the Guide to Effective Military Writing in 1988. Its third edition is still in print. After retiring from active duty, Bill spent fourteen years with the National D-Day Memorial Foundation, the last nine as President and CEO. During the years at West Point Mary Kathryn earned an M.S. in counseling from Long Island University and a certificate from the New York School of Interior Design. Over the years was director of an historic site at West Point and as a guidance counselor in three states.

Upon returning to Mary Kathryn’s hometown, the two purchased an 1857 house on Diamond Hill and restored it over the next eight years.  With that project well in hand, Mary Kathryn spent the next two years rescuing a fragile family cabin (c. 1865) from a field in Concord and moving it to Lynchburg.

An avid student of local and regional history, she is also a seasoned guide and for many years has conducted tours of the city and its surrounds. The McIntoshes also share a long-standing interest in the lore, legend, and history of Christmas and have often abroad many times in pursuit of the subject.  Both have presented a variety of programs at the Golden Glow of Christmas Past conventions, as well as in Lynchburg, and written for The Glow magazine which is published six times a year highlighting the latest trends in vintage and antique Christmas collecting. They have two married daughters and three grandchildren.