Employee Newsletter March 2022

I N D I A N A S TAT E M U S E U M A N D H I S T O R I C S I T E S

CROSSROADS EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER

H LDING COURT MARCH 2022

When there’s a special event in town, Charlie Shock is probably volunteering

by Marc Allan While most of us were celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, Charlie Shock was at Gainbridge Fieldhouse for a volunteer shift at the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament that started at noon and kept her there till 2:30 in the morning.

She was there as a team liaison, escorting the Murray State Racers from their bus to the locker room, from the locker room to media appearances and then to the court for their game against the University of San Francisco, which Murray State won in overtime.

She was back for a six-hour shift on Friday, when teams had closed practice and media interviews, and again on Saturday afternoon and evening for 12

hours when Murray State lost to St. Peter’s.

“I was sad when they lost,” she says. “You get such a connection to the players and the team, and you take it personally. I was really sad for them because the coach was so nice and you feel bad for the kids. Now, when they won on Thursday night, that was a totally different story.”

Shock has been volunteering at big sporting events in Indianapolis since 2006, when a friend who also volunteers for the Indiana Sports Corp. recruited her to help at the Big 10 Men’s Basketball Championship. She enjoyed that experience so much that she took on more opportunities – football, rowing,

swimming and diving.

This year so far, she’s worked the College Football Playoff National Championship, the Big 10 men’s and women’s championships and the first two rounds of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship.

Last year, she spent three weeks inside the “bubble” in which the entire tournament was played because of the pandemic.

“It’s a way to give back, but doing something that’s really, really fun,” says Shock, who typically watches the games either from a tunnel near the court or in a hospitality suite. “It’s fun to meet the teams. You get a connection with continued on next page

holding court, continued

the players and the coaches. When you’re assigned to a team, you get to stay with them as they move through the tournament, and you get to know them on a more personal level.”

Most of the time, the coaches and teams are as nice as can be. Baylor Coach Scott Drew told Shock she was the team’s goodluck charm when they won the National Championship in 2021, and she bonded with another Charlie – Melton, Baylor’s director of athletic performance. Villanova Coach Jay Wright “is very, very nice.” So is Murray State’s Matt McMahon.

“Walking them from the bus to the locker room, you have time for a little small talk,” she says. “Thursday night, both late games went into overtime. Coach (McMahon) said to me on Saturday, ‘I hope it doesn’t go into overtime.’ I said, ‘Well, if it does, we get to spend more time together.’

You don’t get personal. You just make conversation with them.”

And even when the coaches are gruff, she’s always found them to be respectful.

She tells the story of one coach some years back who let the expletives fly.

“Afterwards,” she says, “he came and apologized. I said, ‘Coach, I’ve heard those words before. But you scared me.’”

Shock has worked at the Indiana State Museum for 22 years. She started in March 2000 working for the museum foundation when it was starting the capital campaign for the new building. She served at various times as a capital campaign associate, office manager, in payroll and in membership. In 2010, she joined the museum staff when the ISMHS became a quasi-state agency. She’s now concierge and volunteer manager.

To do her volunteer shifts at sporting events, Shock will schedule herself for late games so she can work part of the day.

Or she’ll take time off. Or she’ll bring her laptop and work during downtime at the events.

“You get tired,” she says, “but I also remember that this is those kids’ chance – some of them the chance of a lifetime.

You’ve gotta remember to appreciate the fact that they’re experiencing something very cool.”

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: JESS MCPHERSON JESS MCPHERSON IS THE SITE COORDINATOR AT NEW HARMONY STATE HISTORIC SITE. She began working for the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites system in November 2021. Jess’s day-to-day duties can vary greatly as she switches focus from facility rentals to site programming, maintaining the historic buildings and community engagement within New Harmony. She’s also focusing on re-cataloging all the artifacts stored in Community House #2. Jess is in a relationship with CJ Heugel. She lives in Evansville.

WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT ALWAYS MAKES YOU SMILE? “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will always make me smile! It’s my favorite TV show. My friends and I get together for episode premieres once a week.

We also like to support local drag and often attend shows on the weekends. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen a man in a wig and roller skates dance around live to a Nicki Minaj song, in my opinion.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SUMMER ACTIVITY? My favorite summer activity is to go on picnics with my friends. I wait every year for when it starts to get warm and sunny so we can take some sandwiches outside and enjoy nature.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION? My most prized possession is probably my pet rabbit. Her name is Magnolia, and she is about 100 years old in human years. Though she can be very sweet and loves getting pet's and strawberry treats, she can also

be mischievous and loves chewing on anything she can get her teeth on.

WHAT SKILL WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO LEARN, AND WHY? I think I’d like to take some sort of dancing classes. I used to participate in a swing-dancing group in high school, and it was so much fun! Not only that, it would be great exercise.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RANDOM FACT? My favorite random facts are history based, of course. For example, did you know that the common 52-card playing deck with four suits has been around since the 15th century, often with the same or similar suits we use today? Imagine playing poker with real kings, queens and knights.

APRIL

ANNIVERSARIES

JAY DISHMAN

JEANNE AKINS

BRAD WINTERS

MELISSA VELASQUEZ

ERICA MONTGOMERY

JORDAN STAATS

ERIC TODD

DEVIN PAYNE

KRYSTLE MANGAN

WES JONES

TERRY WILSON

DEREK HUGHES

CATHY FERREE

LUCAS CALLAHAN

Whitewater Canal – 38 years

Facilities Maintenance – 20 years

Facility Rentals – 12 years

Visitor Services – 10 years

Education – 10 years

Gene Stratton-Porter – 7 years

Administration – 5 years

Limberlost – 4 years

Facility Rentals – 3 years

Experiences – 6 years

Culbertson Mansion – 2 years

Facilities Maintenance – 2 years

Lanier Mansion – 1 year

Education – 1 year

BORDEN FLEETWOOD Security – 4 years

SECURITY UPDATE BUILDING THE BEST MUSEUM SECURITY TEAM It’s a serious task for museums to protect their valuable collections, and selecting the right individuals to perform security duties is extremely important.

When building a security team, museum management must strike a delicate balance between providing a safe place and a showcase for experiences. Galleries and exhibits should be protected, yet welcoming, for the legitimate visitor.

Museum security should be nearly invisible.

On the other hand, for a criminal or person with ill intent, security should be apparent but not so obvious as to make other visitors uncomfortable.

To build the best museum security team, the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites looks to select honest, congenial, professional people with good

communication skills. Thorough training is highly important because the team is most effective when security is infused into the institution’s culture.

Unlike typical security officers, museum security personnel are considered specialists because they have knowledge of museum exhibits, artifacts and more.

At the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites, our security personnel are carefully selected to ensure the safety and security of our visitors, staff, artifacts and property.

SAFETY CULTURE: BUILDING SAFETY IS IMPORTANT A job where most of the work tasks are completed while sitting in a climatecontrolled office building would seem safe.

Still, a surprising number of hazards can be present in an office setting.

Many injuries can be prevented by

recognizing risks and implementing simple modifications to mitigate them.

Building a safety culture in any organization does not occur overnight. At the root of a safety culture is behavior, and changing the behavior requires education.

Learning the best safety practices and hazard awareness provides the groundwork for a safety culture.

Staff participation in training safety drills, programs and workshops is pivotal in developing a safety culture. Developing and maintaining a safety culture is an ongoing process that will evolve over time because it requires careful planning, maintenance and, most importantly, strong leadership.

Commitment to safety and a positive approach to safe behavior will ensure a culture of safety at the museum for years to come.

IMPORTANT NUMBERS TO SAVE Security Non-Emergency 317.234.2454 | Security Emergency 317.234.2455 | After-Hours Security Mobile 317.509.5396

OPENING DAY

SHARE YOUR STORY IDEAS! Renee Bruck, manager of communication | 317.260.3506 | rbruck@indianamuseum.org