Transylvania’s museum would bring substantial attention and credibility
If North Carolina was to found a museum from scratch, acquiring a building, hiring a staff, and finding artifacts may all be doable enough, but the spark to make it a welcoming institutional home for veterans could be elusive. The museum here in Transylvania is a gem that just happened to find root here. If the state moves forward to adopt Transylvania’s museum it would bring substantial attention and credibility, and boost the chances it continues to flourish as an institution.
Two examples of the museum in action:
- Volunteer authors interviewed and collected the stories of 80 local veterans of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. These were published, with abundant photos, as three handsome books. They can be purchased at the museum or on Amazon, etc.
- Short films, each introducing a conflict from WWI to the War on Terror were produced for viewing in museum galleries. Put together they are the best 44-minute introduction to the last century of America’s wars to be found. Teachers are finding out and putting it to use.”
My father was a WWII combat veteran who lived here with me for the last 5+ years of his life. We discovered the museum in its first days at the Heritage Museum. It became simply the best thing in his life. He was treated like a celebrity: red-carpet (literally) welcomes, a seat of honor next to the mayor, photographed, interviewed, published, book-signings, Honor wall plaque, Quilts of Valor ceremony, his picture in the paper several times a year, great speakers and events, and always someone new saying thank you and please tell me your story. Never just an old man in a wheelchair but a man among heroes.
Testimonial by John Luzena, Museum Volunteer