The
2020 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES
Wright Times
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A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES
Vietnam: The Real War
Photographs From The Associated Press July 1 - September 27
Organized by the Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL, and the Associated Press,
A wounded paratrooper of the 101st Airborne Division is helped through a blinding rainstorm by two medics after being evacuated from Ap Bia Mountain during the brutal 10-day battle for what came to be known as Hamburger Hill, May 1969.
The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. The conflict was intensified by the ongoing Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. More than 3 million people (including over 58,000 Americans) were killed in the Vietnam War, and more than half of the dead were Vietnamese civilians. Opposition to the war in the United States bitterly divided Americans, even after President Richard Nixon ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1973. Communist forces ended the war by seizing control of South Vietnam in 1975, and the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the following year. The Associated Press (AP) is a not-for-profit global news agency headquartered in New York. Founded in 1846, it operates as an independent cooperative and has earned 52 Pulitzer Prizes, including 31 for photography, since the award was established in 1917. To cover the Vietnam War, The Associated Press gathered an extraordinary group of superb photojournalists in its Saigon bureau, creating one of the greatest photographic legacies of the 20th century. This collection tells the story of a divisive war that left a deep and lasting impression on American life. From Malcolm Browne’s photograph of the burning monk and Nick Ut’s picture of a 9-year-old running from a napalm attack to Eddie Adams’ photograph of the execution of a Viet Cong prisoner, the exhibit contains images that both recorded and changed history. The exhibit contains images that document the hard realities that come along with war. Parental discretion is advised when viewing the exhibition. Exhibit made possible by Service Credit Union, Portsmouth, With additional support from Weirs Publishing Co, and John and Evelyn Frank
The Wright Museum • 77 Center Street, Wolfeboro, NH • 603-569-1212 Open June 22 Through Oct. 31st • Mon - Sat 10am-4pm • Sunday Noon-4pm
Please Check Our Website For Any Changes Due To Covid19 Conditions www.WrightMuseum.org
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2020 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES
DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE: Big Changes At The Museum I’ve never said this to members and visitors before: wear two pairs of socks when you first visit in 2020 because we will knock off your first pair! Just wait until you see the dramatic changes inside the Wright Museum. We created a new 1,628 square-foot Education Center on the first floor, which is officially named the John S. DuQuoin Education Center (DEC). The popular Tuesday evening Education Programs will now be held in this beautiful room. The DEC accommodates up to 200 new, more comfortable chairs and features a large, elevated screen and speaker stage. This new facility will delight all of you who “endured” the previous second-floor Seminar Room. The former Seminar Room has become a much-needed larger Archives Room to store our growing Permanent Collection in an enhanced, climate-controlled space. A huge new Art Gallery across from the second-floor Archives Room will house larger exhibitions. The gallery now features higher ceilings and better lighting than the prior one. We also moved and expanded our Research Library and positioned the Chapel to be more visible to visitors. On the first floor, we moved the popular Soda Fountain into the Home Front Gallery. The Museum Theater has a new video system that will give us more flexibility in using the theater in addition to showing our introductory film. The Theater will have more comfortable seating as well. We’ve doubled the size of the Museum Store and will stock it with many new items as well as some of our tried and true visitor favorites. The Time Tunnel and Military Gallery remain as they were, except that the Military Gallery now houses new cases to showcase our collection of World War II firearms and other weapons. We have installed a new public stairway to the second floor, which will make the visitor flow more manageable throughout the entire Museum. Plus, we have new glass doors into some galleries, added new restrooms to the second floor, a more efficient heating and cooling system, and painted the walls. There is much more we have done, but you will see the rest when you visit. We think you will be as excited about our new look as we are.
Mike Culver
A watercolor of the Wright Museum on World War II in Wolfeboro, c.1993 done before the museum, the long-time dream of David Wright, opened its doors for the first time. Since then over 300,000 visitors have experienced its fascinating exhibits and artifacts.
The Wright Museum’s 26th Season On July 16, 1994, David Wright fulfilled his dream of a building a permanent museum to honor those who served in World War II as well as those involved in the important support on the Home Front. On June 22, the Wright Museum of World War II opens to its 26th season in Wolfeboro, where hundreds of thousands of visitors have come over the years. The son of a World War II veteran, David Wright served as a U.S. Marine during the Korean War. Since he was too young to serve, he experienced WWII on the home front growing up near Worcester, Mass. David was an avid collector of WWII vintage vehicles for many years. He eventually owned and restored over 50 vehicles, all fully operational. By 1983, he established the E. Stanley Wright Museum Foundation, Inc. in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Originally, the Museum was a mobile exhibition that David made available to communities around the Northeast for parades and military functions at venues such as the Roosevelt Museum and West Point. In 1992, Wright purchased the property where the museum is now permanently located. It is hard to miss the Wright Museum if you have never been there, just look for the M3A1 Stuart Tank protruding from the roadside section of the museum. On July 16, 1994, David Wright fulfilled his dream of a building a permanent museum to honor those who served in World War II as well as those involved in the important support on the Home Front.
2020 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES
Memories Of World War II: Photographs From The Associated Press Archives October 4th - 31st
The Associated Press sent almost 200 reporters and photographers to cover all the theaters of the war. Five of them died and seven won Pulitzer Prizes for their remarkable photos, including the flag raising on Iwo Jima. The exhibit will have nearly 100 photographs – some iconic and others seldom seen – that the photographers took and transmitted over the AP wires for publication in newspapers. The photographs cover both the home front and the war front in the various theaters and give a rounded picture of the war, from beginning to end. You can follow the war as the photographers followed it, one photograph at a time, year by year. You can become an eyewitness to
this war that changed the world – eyewitness to the attack on Pearl Harbor and to American and British soldiers hitting the
beaches on D-day; to the five Marines and the single Navy corpsman raising the flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima; to a woman
crying over the body of her sister who was killed by German soldiers while she was harvesting potatoes; to SS troops herding the Jewish survivors of the 1943 uprising in the Warsaw Ghetto; and to many other incidents that composed the war. Memories of World War II is a powerful must-see exhibit that will give you a better understanding of the war. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to view World War II through the eyes of many of the best photographers of the era. We are grateful to the Associated Press for sharing the exhibit with us. Sponsored by The Laconia Daily Sun
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PROJECT25 Completed For The 2020 Season When the Wright Museum of World War II announced Project25 in January, it marked the culmination of years of planning and fundraising, efforts that have not been derailed by COVID-19. “We are very pleased at the The new gift shop and progress made admission area at the by Milestone C o n s t r u c t i o n Wright Museum. under less than ideal circumstances,” said Executive Director Mike Culver. A multi-phase construction project, Project25 will initially enhance the museum’s education center and exhibit and archival spaces. As additional funds are raised, additional aspects of Project25 include a motor pool of vintage WWII vehicles and a storage and maintenance facility where Wright Military Vehicle Personnel (MVPs) can work on them. “Our vehicles are operational and often can be found at area parades,” he added. “Project25 will eventually enhance our ability to rotate vehicles in and out of the museum, too, so visitors can see and experience things they would not otherwise.” Noting the museum’s open date has been pushed to June 22,Culver said he wants local and out-of-town visitors alike to know The Wright is still planning “a strong 2020 season.” For Culver, one of the primary objectives of The Wright is to tell stories that help “to define 21st century America. “History is not a footnote,” he said. “It guides us and can help provide insight into who we are…If anything, COVID-19 will demonstrate for all of us how America can rally against the face of adversity. I think The Wright can help us all rally--and we will.” The region’s leading resource for educators and learners of all ages on World War II, the Wright Museum will follow all CDC guidelines in determining when it will open for the 2020 season. To learn more about the museum or Project25, visit wrightmuseum.org.
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2020 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES
Rememberance Garden Walkway & Buy A Brick
In August 2019, we dedicated the Wright Museum’s Remembrance Garden. This year we will add one more important feature. Daniel Marrone made a generous donation to complete a paved walkway from the front of the Museum to the Remembrance Garden, which will provide easier access to the Garden and the Memorial Bricks Wall. We are grateful to Daniel for his thoughtfulness. One of the unique features at the Wright Museum is the entrance courtyard where hundreds of memorial bricks adorn the walls up to a height of eight feet. The program was suspended temporarily as the courtyard was literally filled to a height where additional bricks would not be easily read. We are delighted to say that we are once again taking orders for memorial bricks, and that the bricks are now displayed in a new place of honor on the Museum wall facing Center Street. The area around the bricks is now a Remembrance Garden, with plantings sponsored by Meredith Village Savings Bank, where visitors can now view the memorial bricks in restful landscaped surroundings with granite benches and flags. Plaques are installed once a year in May. Plaques for donations to the “Buy a Brick” program made after March 30th will not be installed until the following year. To participate, Buy a Brick below, download the order form to the right, or call us at (603) 569-1212. You can securely pay with a credit card online or over the phone, or you can mail in a check. Memorial bricks are available and cost $100. You can purchase a brick online, print an order form from the Museum’s web site (www. wrightmuseum.org), or call the Museum at 603-569-1212. (Check the web site for when paving stones will be available and the procedure for ordering them.) You can order bricks any time during the year.
(L To R) Randy Parker of Maxfield Real Estate; Mike Culver, Executive Director of The Wright Musuem and Jon Parker of Maxfield. An Open House at the museum is scheduled for Tuesday June 30 at the Wright Museum sponsored by Maxfield Real Estate.
Wright Museum To Host Free Open House On Tuesday, June 30 The Wright Museum of World War II is planning a Free Open House on Tuesday, June 30. “This is a chance for the community to come and enjoy what we have to offer this year after a difficult spring, and it is free,” said Executive Director Mike Culver. Free Open House is sponsored by Maxfield Real Estate, which is celebrating its own history. “Maxfield Real Estate has served this region since in 1954, which is why I am proud to now lead it with my son Jon to continue bringing people and homes together,” said Randy Parker. “We are proud to support the Wright Museum, as it continues to educate and inspire our next generation of community members.” Expressing gratitude at the support offered by Maxfield Real Estate, Culver said this
year’s season will be highlighted by “exciting exhibits.” Co-presented by Service Credit Union, Vietnam: The Real War: A Photographic History from the Associated Press features 50 large format photos from the Archives of the Associated Press and will run through September 27. Running October 4 - October 31, Memories of WWII: Photo-
graphs from the Associated Press Archives includes some includes selections of the most iconic WWII images taken between 1939 and 1945. “Images from both of these exhibits as well as the stories that accompany them help to reveal America at critical points in its history,” said Culver. “These are impactful exhibits that touch on themes that are especially relevant in these days of turmoil and strife.” Sponsored by Maxfield Real Estate, Free Open House takes place on Tuesday, June 30 from 10 am to 4 pm. The region’s leading resource for educators and learners of all ages on World War II, the Wright Museum will reopen on Monday, June 22. To learn more, visit wrightmuseum.org.
2020 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES
Archival Storage Receives An Upgrade Off-season renovations at the Museum have certainly kept our staff busy! One of the first projects we did to get the construction underway was to relocate the contents of the secondfloor archive. On January 3, staff members and volunteers worked throughout the day to move all of the artifacts from the archive room to a temporary home in the former library. The “Wright movers” disassembled shelving units in the archive room then reassembled them in the old library. They also carted and carried hundreds of boxes, paintings, and other objects into the old library and put them on the reassembled shelves. Many hands made light work. After the construction crew finished renovating the new Archive Room, which is the former Seminar Room, the “Wright movers” transferred the artifacts into their new home. The new archive room has an upgraded climate control system that ensures the artifacts will continue to be well preserved. All the Museum’s artifacts are now stored in a central location, a big plus after having been stored in different parts of the museum. Now the staff can access the archives quickly from the office area, making cataloging and moving artifacts more efficient. As the summer season approaches, collections staff and volunteers will begin reorganizing the archives in a way that lets us make the best use of our upgraded storage space.
Arnold And Carol Haynes Library Since 2009, the Wright Museum’s Arnold and Carol Haynes Research Library has been available to students and researchers year-round by advance arrangement. The museum’s staff is flexible and will strive to accommodate patrons’ schedules – whether they be middle schoolers accompanied by an adult, post-doctoral researchers, or any history buff wanting to learn more about WWII history. Some of the materials available in the main reading room include: WWII unit histories Eyewitness accounts Scholarly monographs written by academic historians WWII-era home front magazines, including a full set of LIFE from 1939-1945 WWII publications from the front lines, such as Stars and Stripes and Yank Publications of the Office of War Information, Department of War, and other federal, state, and local agencies To arrange a visit, please call (603) 569-1212. There is a $10/day user fee, which is waived for museum members and students.
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REMEMBERING MIKE WILDFEUER
The Wright Museum Board Members and staff were saddened to hear of Mike Wildfeuer’s passing. Mike was a flesh-andblood dynamo when it came to helping the Museum. He was actively involved for many years and served in numerous capacities. He was on the Board of Directors and was a docent in the Military Gallery. He helped find items for the Time Tunnel when it was being developed and also catalogued items for the Museum’s collections. The Gift Shop was one of his special loves, and he assisted in purchasing merchandise for it. In addition, he maintained the firearms collection by giving the weapons an annual cleaning, repairing them when necessary, and doing anything else to keep them functioning. He also helped organize golf tournaments for the Museum. On Family Day, Mike along with his wife, Susan, were the hamburger chiefs who grilled hamburgers for the visitors. Our heart-felt condolences go out to Mike’s family.
Wright Business Partner Program Businesses can attract more customers and visitors by working together to promote one another. That’s where the Wright Museum’s Business Partner Program comes in. Each month the Wright Museum will team up with a local business partner to promote each other. Becoming a business partner creates goodwill among local businesses and provides customers and visitors with useful discounts. To learn more about the Business Partner Program, visit Wright Museum.org.
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2020 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES
Home Front & Time Tunnel Displays Show The Other Side of WWII Museum
The Home Front display is the only one of its kind in the United States. Within it you get a true feel of what is was like to be doing your part as a civilian for the war effort. It also just gives a great feel for life in general at the time. There is the dentist office with tools of the day to make you shiver as you remember those, what seem like today, primitive tools, a 1940s style kitchen and other 1940s era displays of life. “David’s Garage” named after Wright Museum founder, David Wright. The detail is amazing from the gas pump to the calendars on the wall and the tools lying around the shop. These displays are changed over time as new artifacts are acquired or donated. After the Home Front room comes an amazing display called “The Time Tunnel.” Started in 2001 and added to over the years, you literally enter into what is a tunnel layout proceeding through the years 1939-1945, each year in separate rooms and each room divided into home and war front with a strong emphasis on the former. The Time Tunnel was developed in stages with the 1939 room being the original model in 2001. The 1945 room was just completed in 2012. Each room sponsored by a generous donation. Videos of the particular year are available for viewing in each room as well as
Ron Goodgame’s tribute to his father and uncles is in the Time Tunnel a Times Square type electronic sign that flashes the big news stories of the year. There is the familiar, like the famous kiss in Times Square photo by Alfred Eisenstadt, to some of the untold
“David’s Garage” named after Wright Museum founder, David Wright at the Home Front display.
stories including a few of New Hampshire’s own war story displays. Ron Goodgame of Wolfeboro donated a display. His father and three brothers were all in the service in WWII. One day his father flew off an aircraft carrier on a mission and never re-
The Time Tunnel leads visitors through the years 1939 to 1945 on the Home Front and overseas.
turned. The display honors his memory and the services of his uncles. There’s also display of a woman in Farmington who had five sons who served and one of them received a Bronze Star years later. One of the biggest attractions in the Time
Tunnel rooms is the price lists. Find out the yearly incomes, cost of a new house and a gallon of gas for each year.
2020 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES
Volunteers Help Wright Museum Celebrate The “Greatest Generation” For cultural and educational nonprofit institutions like the Wright Museum of WWII in Wolfeboro, volunteers often serve as “the backbone” of the operations. “I am not exaggerating when I say that volunteers keep this place going,” said Executive Director Mike Culver. “In turn, we try to provide them with the best experience possible.” Volunteer Steve Messineo Describing his time at the Wright Museum as “one of the most rewarding experiences in [his] life,” Volunteer Steve Messineo said he tries to share his personal experience with visitors. “Having served our great country in the Marine Corp and being part of a military family--3 generations of Marines and a WWll Army veteran--I fully enjoy sharing my knowledge and experiences and love for my country,” he said. In sharing his memories of WWII during which time he was “a youngster,” Messineo said he hopes to shed light on the “Greatest Generation.” His stories, he acknowledged, run the proverbial gamut. “I share stories like when gasoline was unavailable and my dad tried to fuel his car with kerosene, growing vegetables in our Victory Garden, food rationing,” he said. “I also talk about how happy the family was the day my godfather, Captain S.E. Gegus, 9th Army, returned home from the service.” Along with fellow vol-
Steve Messineo (L), a docent at the Wright Museum, helps a student with a WWII Map.. unteers, Nancy Mako and Cindy Cafasso, Messineo said he is also involved in the museum’s events committee, which formed “The Wright Bakers.” “We create, design and prepare many of the sweet treats and desserts for members during special annual events,” he said. Expressing “deep appreciation” for Messineo and the efforts of all volunteers, Culver said such involvement helps to underscore the importance and relevance of the Wright Museum mission. “What happened during WWII directly informs who we are today,” he said. “Many of the events that directly resulted from it reshaped the world economy, and the culture of today borrows many themes that had their origins during that seminal time period in our nation.” Messineo agreed and
Wolfeboro during WWII, complying with air raids, rationing, pasting stamps in savings bond booklets and other ways of life at that time,” she explained. Garvey said some of her own life is also captured in the museum, as she is pictured in a photo in the museum’s Home Front exhibit. “I am one of the many students in the photo in front of Carpenter School that shows when we raised money to buy the US Army a jeep,” she said. Garvey said one of her husband’s models of a ship on which he served during WWII is also on display in the
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know his family well.” According to Culver, Garvey’s commitment to the museum and general knowledge of WWII will prove especially valuable when the museum opens for the 2020 season. “What is happening right now with COVID-19 underscores the importance that Americans rally together in times of crisis,” he said. “History teaches us this lesson, and Paula and several of our other volunteers can help put this into perspective for visitors.” Garvey agreed and added, “The museum’s theme of how all Americans, all ages, made do
cites the museum’s Home Front Gallery as perhaps its most notable contribution. “It shows how America’s ‘Arsenal of Democracy’ played a vital role with its achievements,” he said. “This period of American history, 1939 - 1945, must be told and retold because it is part of who we are today.” Volunteer Paula Garvey “I was born in Wolfeboro, attended Carpenter Elementary School during the WWII years and can relate to the Wright Museum in many ways,” said Volunteer Paula Garvey, who works in the gift shop. “The Home Front exhibit and Time Tunnel at the museum are especially meaningful to me.” Volunteering at the museum since 2014 when incoming and still current Executive
Volunteer Paula Garvey, who works in the gift shop, has been with the Wright Museum since 2014. Director Mike Culver put out a call for help, Garvey said she tries to add value to the visitor experience by sharing personal stories. “I can talk to visitors about growing up in
museum’s Military Gallery. “The museum also has a display of the first military person from Wolfeboro to die in the war--Clayton Hale,” she added. “I knew and still
in times of uncertainty is relevant to understanding COVID-19. Today is no different, because we are facing a virus that has changed the way we had been living.”
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2020 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES
WRIGHT MUSEUM OF WORLD WAR II
Yankee Magazine’s “Best 20th Century History Museum in New England” - New for 2020: Newly renovated galleries & displays!
Browse over 14,000 items in our collection: WWII military vehicles & weapons; a 1939-1945 Time Tunnel; a real Victory Garden, Movie Theater & Army barracks; as well as period toys, books, music, clothing… and MORE.
THE 2020 WRIGHT MUSEUM EDUCATION PROGRAM SERIES HAS UNFORTUNATELY BEEN CANCELLED.
THE WRIGHT MUSEUM OF WORLD WAR II OPENS FOR THE 2020 SEASON ON JUNE 22... As we reopen, our top priority is the health and safety of our visitors, volunteers, and staff. With that in mind, we will be implementing State and CDC suggested safety measures. A full version of our re-opening procedures will be available on our web site www.wrightmuseum.org
NEW EXHIBIT OPENING JUNE 22nd
VIETNAM:: The Real War VIETNAM Photographs from the Associated Press Organized by the Huntsville Museum of Art and the Associated Press
ut Ask Abonual Our Anships & Membemr berships Gift Me
ADMISSION RATES:
Museum Members - Free | Adults $12.00 Children (5-17) $8.00 / (4 and under) Free All Military and Seniors (60 and over) $10.00
MUSEUM OPEN DAILY Show AAA card for 10% discount on adult admission fees.
Thru Oct. 31st
Monday – Saturday, 10am-4pm Sunday, Noon-4pm
603-569-1212 • www.WrightMuseum.org • 77 Center Street, Wolfeboro, NH