Wright Museum Preview 2016

2016 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES & COCHECO TIMES

The

Wright Times

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A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES

Wright Museum Marks 75th Anniversary Of Pearl Harbor With Special Exhibit “December 7, 1941 – a day which will live in – Franklin D. Roosevelt infamy.”

“Infamy: December 7, 1941” (Exhibit will be open August 20-October 24) Honors the 75th anniversary of the Japanese surprise attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor. The assault was a seminal event in American history that helped lead to the country’s emergence as a world power.

Intent on conquering Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, the Japanese launched the attack to cripple the U.S. Pacific Fleet, hoping to stop America from interfering with their plans. The attack was just one of a series of almost-simultaneous strikes on the American-held territories of Guam, Wake Island, and the Philippines as well as on British-held territories.

The attack shocked Americans everywhere and resulted in some of the country’s darkest days. The attack also pulled the country together and launched America into World War II, putting it on the track to assume leadership of the Free World.

“Infamy: December 7, 1941” displays 66 powerful and gripping photographs of the attack. You can witness first-hand the shock, devastation, and horror that gripped the victims. You can experience the courage and bravery they displayed as well.

This exhibit is made possible with additional support from John Warner and contributions from O Bistro at Inn on Main; and Northeast Delta Dental, Bartlett Tree Experts, and Weirs Publishing Company.

“Infamy: December 7, 1941” was developed by the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.

USS West Virginia burning, immediately after the Japanese attack.

What Is The Wright Museum?

The son of a World War II veteran, founder 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.

While his vehicle collection was - and continues to be - impressive, David believed that it was imperative to tell the whole story of Americans’ contribution to the war effort. As he began to develop plans for a permanent museum, he felt it necessary to document the great achievements of Americans on the home front, since their commitment played such

a crucial role in the Allied victory.

In 1992 David Wright purchased an 8-acre parcel adjacent to Wolfeboro’s Smith River, the former site of the Diamond National sawmill. On July 16, 1994 the doors opened to the museum’s first visitors.

Since then, nearly 300,000 people have visited the Wright Museum. Some visit out of curiosity after having seen the M3A1 Stuart tank protruding from the building’s facade. What they find inside conjures memories for visitors of a certain age. For families visiting the Wright Museum, the exhibits often spur conversations across generations, allowing parents, grandparents, and children to contemplate the achievements of the Greatest Generation.

The Wright Museum • 77 Center Street, Wolfeboro, NH • 603-569-1212 Open May 1st-Oct. 31st • Mon-Sat 10am-4pm • Sunday Noon-4pm • To Become A Member Or Make A Donation Visit www.wrightmuseum.org

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2016 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES & COCHECO TIMES

SPOTLIGHT ON HISTORY

2016 SPECIAL EXHIBIT

DID YOU KNOW ABOUT THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR?

Revisit the South Pacific Theater with Charles J. Miller

Some Of The Battleships Sunk That Day Were Resurrected Of the 8 battleships that were targeted during the attacks, all but 2 were eventually repaired and returned to the U.S. Navy’s fleet. The USS West Virginia and the USS California had both sunk completely, but the Navy raised them, repaired them, and reused them.

Furthermore, bullet holes and damage from the attacks can be seen to this day at many of the active military installations on Oahu, including Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Army Airfield and Hickam Army Air Field. Rather than repair or cover up the damage, the bullet holes serve as a reminder of the lives lost that day and as motivation for our military to stand strong.

Veterans Of The Attack Can Be Laid To Rest At Pearl Harbor Survivors of the attack have the option to join their lost comrades and make Pearl Harbor their final resting place.

Crewmembers who served on board the USS Arizona, which experienced the most devastating damage when the attack occurred, may choose to have their ashes deposited by divers beneath one of the sunken Arizona’s gun turrets. Roughly 30 Arizona survivors have chosen this option and less than a dozen of the 355 survivors are known to still be alive.

Twenty-Three Sets of Brothers Died Aboard the USS Arizona There were 37 confirmed pairs or trios of brothers assigned to USS Arizona on December 7, 1941. Of these 77 men, 62 were killed, and 23 sets of brothers died. Only one full set of brothers, Kenneth and Russell Warriner, survived the attack; Kenneth was away at flight school in San Diego on that day and Russell was badly wounded but recovered. Both members of the ship’s only father-and-son pair, Thomas Augusta Free and his son William Thomas Free, were killed in action.

Though family members often served on the same ship before World War II, U.S. officials attempted to discourage the practice after Pearl Harbor. However, no official regulations were established, and by the end of the war hundreds of brothers had fought—and died—together.

The five Sullivan brothers of Waterloo, Iowa, for instance, jointly enlisted after learning that a friend, Bill Ball, had died aboard USS Arizona; Their only condition upon enlistment was that they be assigned to the same ship. In November 1942, all five siblings were killed in action when their light cruiser, USS Juneau, was sunk during the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.

The USS Arizona Still Leaks Fuel The day before the attack, the USS Arizona took on a full load of fuel - nearly 1.5 million gallons. Much of that fuel helped ignite the explosion and subsequent fires that destroyed the ship, but amazingly, some of that fuel continues to seep out of the wreckage. According to the History Channel, the Arizona “continues to spill up to 9 quarts of oil into the harbor each day“ and visitors often say it is as if the ship were still bleeding.

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May 1st - June 10th Last year, we opened the season with a special exhibit of 83 paintings

by Charles J. Miller. The scenes depicted the everyday life of the common G.I. who served in the South Pacific Theater during World War II. The exhibit, which we developed inhouse, was a big hit with the public. The exhibit also received a tremendous amount of publicity from the media, including the Boston Globe and WMUR television’s New Hampshire Chronicle.

This year, we are proud to announce that we are opening the 2016 season with a second Miller exhibit, “Private Charles J. Miller: New Paintings from the South Pacific.” The exhibit which runs May 1-June 10, features 40 more paintings that have never been seen before by the general public.

Born and raised in Nashua, NH, Miller bucked his family’s opposition to his becoming an artist by secretly teaching himself the artist’s skills from books he took out from the library. He quit school after the sixth grade to work in the cotton mills in Nashua to help support his family. Drafted during the war, Miller served in the Pacific Theater, where he created 700 paintings and drawings. He called his scenes “descriptive,” saying “You see what I saw.” And he never sold a painting. He gave them away.

Miller’s paintings are important primary sources for anyone interested in the everyday life of the average G.I. who served in the South Pacific Theater. What makes Miller’s paintings unique is the descriptions he wrote on them, which told you what you were seeing.

This exhibit is made possible with additional support from The Art Place; and contributions from Shaun and Ellen Berry and from Two International Group, LLC; and NFP Insurance.

Our Victory Garden Is Still Growing We’ve been talking about it – but now we’re doing it! This spring we’re expanding our Victory Garden to plant more produce and to make the garden more authentic.

Because of the larger garden, the Museum also can contribute more fresh produce to Wolfeboro L.I.F.E. Ministries Food Pantry to distribute to their clients in Wolfeboro, Ossipee, and Tuftonboro.

In April, Master gardener Christin Kaiser will start the expansion. The garden will have a special area dedicated to growing vegetables that the Japanese Americans raised in the internment camps. Raised beds will demonstrate how wheelchairbound Americans were able to raise food and contribute to the war effort along with everyone else. The rest of the vegetables will be planted at ground level.

A new interpretative sign will talk about how the production of ammonium nitrate for explosives and DDT during World War II led to the rise of high production agriculture after the war, along with its environmental consequences and the current refocus on sustainable farming.

These changes were made possible thanks to our much-appreciated partnership with Hannaford Supermarkets and generous support from Gary Skoloff in honor of his daughter, Karen Merrill-Skoloff.

And our special thanks goes to Christin for all the work she does in planting the Victory Garden and to our volunteers for their work in maintaining it.

2016 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES & COCHECO TIMES

2016 SPECIAL EXHIBIT

Experience Norman Rockwell’s Wartime America June 19th -August 21st

During World War II, Norman Rockwell put a human face on daily life in home front America with iconic paintings that appeared on the covers of The Saturday Evening Post. The images reflected the social and political climate in the United States during that time.

The Wright’s second exhibit of the 2016 season,, “Norman Rockwell in the 1940s: A View of the American Home Front” (June 19-August 21), features 44 of his original art works for The Saturday Evening Post covers that feature home-front themes.

Covers include “Rosie the Riveter,” “The Home-coming,” “Home on Leave,” and “Back to Civies.” The exhibit also displays the “Willie Gillis” series of covers, which follow a fictional everyman through the war.

The series was so realistic that some people thought Willie was an actual person.

A highlight of the exhibit is Rockwell’s F r e e d o m f r o m W a n t , N o r m a n “Four Freedoms,” which appeared during Rockwell four consecutive weeks on The Saturday Norman Rockwell Museum Collections Evening Post covers in 1943. Each paint- ©1943 SEPS: Licensed by Curtis Licensing, Indianapolis, IN All rights reserved. ing reflects one of the freedoms President www.curtislicensing.com Franklin Roosevelt identified in the “Four Freedoms State of the Union” address that he delivered in January, 1941.

Rockwell’s wartime paintings fostered patriotism and encouraged support for the war effort. In 1943, a traveling exhibit featuring “Four Freedoms” helped raise $132 million for war bonds.

This exhibit is made possible with additional support from Wolfe’s Tavern at The Wolfeboro Inn; and contributions from Pratt & Whitney; and Sugar Hill Retirement Community; and Yankee Pedlar Realtors.

“Norman Rockwell in the 1940s: A View of the American Home Front” was organized by the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Why Membership Is Important To The Wright Museum Your membership dollars are an important source of funds to support our exhibits and programs.

By joining the Wright, you become an actual partner in helping us carry out our mission of providing “a vivid perspective on the profound and enduring impact of the World War II experience on American society.” In return, you receive specific benefits that depend on your membership level.

Benefits can include: • Free admission to the museum • Invitations to members-only previews of special exhibits such as “Norman Rockwell in the 1940s: A View of the American Home Front” • 10% discounts from the museum store • Subscription to the museum’s newsletter, Wright Times A new, special benefit is the Wright’s Member Shopping Days. Every Thursday in June and in September, you will receive 20% off everything you buy at the Museum Store.

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SPOTLIGHT ON HISTORY A Memorial was built at the USS Arizona Site, Thanks in Part to Elvis Presley After the Arizona sank, its superstructure and main armament were salvaged and reused to support the war effort, leaving its hull, two gun turrets and the remains of more than 1,000 crewmen submerged in less than 40 feet of water. In 1949 a Commission was established to create a permanent tribute to those who had died at Pearl Harbor, but it wasn’t until 1958 that President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation to create a national memorial. The funds to build it came from both the public sector and private donors, including one unlikely source. In March 1961, entertainer Elvis Presley, who had recently finished a two-year stint in the U.S. Army, performed a benefit concert at Pearl Harbor’s Block Arena that raised over $50,000—more than 10 percent of the USS Arizona Memorial’s final cost. The monument was officially dedicated on May 30, 1962, and attracts more than 1 million visitors each year.

Service Members Stationed in Hawaii took Care of the Memorial during the 2013 Government Shutdown Service members stationed in Hawaii treat Pearl Harbor as a living memorial and rally around it when times are tough. In October, 2013, for instance, when the U.S. government shut down for more than two weeks, no one was around to take care of the memorial site. A spontaneous group of service members and their families gathered to tend to the seemingly abandoned site, raking, weeding and mowing the overgrown grass. Their message, they said, was to all veterans: “We haven’t forgotten about you.

We will not forget about you.”

Director’s Message

The Wright Museum’s vision statement is what guides us.

We truly believe in our goal: To be the preeminent history museum that preserves and promotes a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the enduring contributions made by World War II-era Americans.

We believe this approach is the best way to focus our work be-cause WWII affected the lives of all Americans and contributions made during that era continue to shape our world today. We work to tell the stories of WW II – both the ordinary and the extraordinary – in order to illuminate the relationship be-tween the past and present, and learn from it.

Over the past few years we have grown our offerings, added new experiences, and created new content for the field.

In 2015, your generosity clearly indicated that you share our aspirations and approve of our work. Your annual fund donations nearly doubled in 2015 from 2014, our membership program grew dramatically, and we had record attendance, with over 16,500 visitors. For all your generosity and support, we simply can’t thank you enough.

Your Annual Fund donations are especially important because they allow us to realize our dreams. Annual Funds provide operating capital that we can invest in programs, upgrades to exhibits, and our collection.

Recurring gifts go a step further by giving us the invaluable ability to plan ahead. Recurring gifts’ predictability is the key to our sustainability. And with sustainability we can be even more ambitious.

As you think about your 2016 gift, perhaps the most important thing we will ask of you is to consider becoming a sustaining donor.

Thank you, Mike Culver

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2016 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES & COCHECO TIMES

The Ron Goodgame and Donna Canney 2016 Education Program Schedule - May 10 - October 4 Admission is $8.00 per person for non-members and free for Wright Museum members, unless otherwise noted. Because of limited seating, we strongly encourage you to make reservations by calling 603-569-1212.

All programs begin at 7:00 p.m., unless noted otherwise The museum’s doors open one hour before the program begins.

Please check our website, www.wrightmuseum.org, for cancellations because of unforeseen circumstances.

Tuesday, May 10 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Three New Hampshire Treasures: the New Hampshire Boat Museum, the New Hampshire Farm Museum, and the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire New Hampshire‘s cultural wealth can be measured by the rich variety of museums within its borders. Tonight representatives from three of those museums introduce you to their institutions and explain what makes them unique. Speakers are Lisa Simpson Lutts, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Boat Museum; Wendell Berthelsen, Director of Opera-tions for the Aviation Museum of New Hampshire, and a representative from the New Hampshire Farm Museum.

Tuesday, May 17 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Dead But Not Forgotten: Memorializing New Hampshire Serviceman Buried in the American Cemetery in Margraten, Netherlands S tu d e n t s f r o m M o u n t Prospect High School in Alton, NH, speak about their research into the lives of New Hampshire servicemen killed during World War II and buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten. Mount Prospect history teacher Mike Folan and author Aimee Fogg talk about the project and the research procedure.

And Netherlands resident Ben Savelkoul discusses the Grave Adoption Program that provides perpetual care for the graves of fallen American servicemen. Ben has adopted two fallen Americans.

Tuesday, May 24 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

America’s Pistol: the Model 1911 -- 105 Years Young Lecture by George R. Gurick, Jr. The Model 1911 pistol, the finest and longest lasting military sidearm in U.S. history, is John Moses Browning’s crowning achievement as a firearms inventor.

George R. Gurick Jr. discusses the high points of the Model 1911 as well as the War Department’s search for a service firearm before it adopted “America’s Pistol.”

George R. Gurick Jr. is a former U.S. Air Force staff sergeant. He also was a competitive shooter, attaining the classification of NRA Expert in open competition and enjoys shooting U.S. military small arms.

Tuesday, May 31 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

The Miracles of Design and Production in the US During World War II Lecture by Stephen Keith In 1939, the United States was unprepared to fight World War II. The U.S. Army was ranked 39th for size in the world, making it smaller than the armies of Greece or Portugal. The 1st US Army medium tank wasn’t produced by Chrysler until July, 1941 – just five months before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Stephen Keith explains how the U.S. used design and production to overcome its grievous unpreparedness, allowing us to win the war and become a super power.

America’s use of design and production is a fascinating story of what can be accomplished when everyone pulls in the same direction for a common cause. Keith is a life-long amateur World War II historian whose purchase thirty-six years ago of a 1943 GMC-created troop carrier sparked his interest in American production during the war. Soon he was researching World War II production of other vehicles, ships, aircraft, and so on. Over the years, Keith has shared his extensive research with veteran’s groups, historical societies, and museums.

Tuesday, June 14 from 7:00- 8:00 p.m.

Margaret Bourke-White, Courageous Photographer Presented by Sally Matson* Sally Matson portrays the extraordinary American photographer and photojournalist Margaret BourkeWhite. During World War II,

Bourke-White was the first female war correspondent or photographer allowed to work in war zones. (General Patton told her to hide his jowls in the photos she took of him.) She also was the first foreign photographer allowed to take photographs inside Soviet factories. (She had to make Stalin laugh to get his picture.) Matson uses letters and tender WWII-era V-mails found at Syracuse University to form the basis for her portrayal of this remarkable woman.

Sally Matson, a graduate of Northwestern University, has been acting and directing for forty years. She performed for the Department of Defense in the Pacific, wrote and hosted for Connecticut Cable TV, and has been performing as Susan B. Anthony since 2002. Mrs. Matson combines her love of research, writing, and acting to bring fearless, historical women to life. Margaret Bourke-White is her latest portrayal. *Program funded by the New Hampshire Humanities Council -- no charge.

Tuesday, June 21 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Tale of Two Subs Lecture by John Frank USS Squalus and USS Sculpin were both built at the Portsmouth Naval yard.

In 1939, Squalus sank off Portsmouth, NH, during a test dive. Sculpin aided in rescuing Squalus, which was recommissioned as USS Sailfish. The “Tale of Two Subs” follows the intertwined fates of these submarines from the rescue into World War II when the Japanese carrier Chuyo sank the Sculpin. The Chuyo took the Sculpin’s survivors onboard as prisoners and was subsequently sunk by the Sailfish.

The Japanese carrier went down with the American prisoners onboard.

John Frank is a retired Superintendent of Schools. He is an educator, the author of two books, and a longtime member of the Wright Museum Board of Directors.

Frank holds graduate degrees from the University of Connecticut, and was a National Danforth and National School Executive Fellow.

Tuesday, June 28 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Rockin Daddios perform Golden Oldies Rock to the music of the 1950s and 1960s with the popular four-man singing group, The Rockin Daddios.

Starring Angelo Gentile,

Bo Guyer, Jim Rogato and Drew Seneca, the Daddios have performed their Golden Oldies “feel good music” throughout the Lakes Region to wide acclaim. The group’s songs conjure up many special memories for baby boomers as well as for younger people who love the great music of the rock ‘n’ roll era. The Rockin Daddios’ music is from a bygone period – tunes that take us back to a more innocent time. You’ll hear songs like “Book of Love,” “Blue Moon,” “Teenager in Love,” and “Little Star.” The songs are family friendly and guaranteed to warm your heart.”

Tuesday, July 5 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

29 Let’s Go! A Soldier’s Story About D-Day Presented by Morley L. Piper Hear the story and shake hands with the man who landed at Omaha Beach on D-Day, 1944! Morley Piper is back for an encore presentation. As a nineteenyear-old lieutenant, he led his platoon ashore under galling fire at Omaha Beach on D-Day. Piper gives a fascinating personal account of his service with the 29th Infantry Division and his engagement through France and Germany until the war in Europe ended.

Tuesday, July 12 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

The Greatest War Stories Never Told Lecture and book signing by author Rick Beyer If you search the annals of military history, you will discover no end of quirky characters and surprising true stories. The tales range from the three cigars that changed the course of the Civil War to the elderly pig whose death triggered an international crisis. And don’t forget the drunken redcoats who inspired the Star Spangled Banner! Rick Beyer, author of The Greatest War Stories Never Told, shares a host of little-known tales from the last 2000 years of military history.

Rick Beyer is an awardwinning documentary filmmaker, best-selling author, and long-time history enthusiast. He wrote the popular Greatest Stories Never Told series, published by Harper Collins, and co-authored (with Liz Sayles) The Ghost Army of World War II. He produced the awardwinning PBS documentary The Ghost Army, and also

made documentaries for television channels such as The History Channel and National Geographic. Beyer has shared his unique perspective on history with audiences around the country and appeared on CBS News, Fox News, NPR, CNN, and other programs.

Tuesday, July 19 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Norman Rockwell in the 1940s Lecture by Tom Daly Norman Rockwell was – and continues to be – one of America’s most popular artists. During World War II, Rockwell put a human face on daily life in home front America with iconic paintings that appeared on the covers of The Saturday Evening Post. The images reflected the social and political climate in the United States during that time.

Rockwell’s home front Post paintings fostered patriotism and encouraged citizens to support the war effort. Tom Daly will speak about Rockwell’s life and his art of the 1940s – including the famous “Four Freedoms,” “Rosie the Riveter,” “The Homecoming,” “Home on Leave,” and “Back to Civies.”

Thomas Daly is the Curator of Education for The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge. The museum is located in the Massachusetts town in which Norman Rockwell lived for the last twenty-five years of his life. During his eighteenplus years with the Norman Rockwell Museum, Daly has taken on a number of roles, all of them adding to his knowledge of America’s favorite illustrator. The programs he created have served tens of thousands of visitors. He also he has traveled to many parts of the country to lecture about Mr. Rockwell’s work.

Tuesday, July 26 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Author’s lecture and book signing for the 2015 trilogy Wilber’s War In Wilber’s War, author Hale Bradt tells the story of his parents, Wilber and Norma Brandt, two ordinary Americans during World War II. Wilber fought as a soldier on the war front in the Pacific Theater while Norma fought to keep her family together on the home front. Wilber’s War is an epic tale of duty, heroism, love and human frailty told by a son seeking to unravel the tangled threads of his fam-

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2016 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES & COCHECO TIMES ily’s legacy.

Hale Bradt is Professor of Physics, Emeritus at MIT. He and his wife Dorothy live in Salem, MA.

Tuesday, August 9 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Wartime Basketball: The Emergence of a National Sport during World War II Lecture and book signing by author Douglas Stark Wartime Basketball tells the story of basketball’s survival and development during World War II and how those years profoundly affected the game’s growth after the war. Before World War II, basketball – professional and collegiate – was largely a regional game, with different styles played throughout the country. Among its many impacts on home-front life, the war forced pro and amateur leagues to contract and combine rosters to stay competitive. At the same time, the U.S. military created base teams made up of top players who found themselves in uniform. The war created the opportunity for players from different parts of the country to play with and against each other. As a result, a more consistent form of basketball began to take shape. Weaving stories from the court into wartime and home-front culture like a finely threaded bounce pass, Wartime Basketball sheds light on important developments in the sport’s history that has been largely overlooked.

Douglas Stark is the museum director at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. He is the author of The SPHAS: The Life and Times of Basketball’s Greatest Jewish Team

Monday, August 15 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Wright Museum of World War II 3rd Annual Film Festival** This year’s film festival honors the 75th anniversary of the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor by showing two extraordinary documentaries. Wright Museum Director Mike Culver introduces each film.

Pearl Harbor – The Real Story This 2001 documentary includes the stories of sixty men and women who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor. The film includes footage that hasn’t been seen until now. As a bonus, the film takes the viewer on a tour of Pearl Harbor today, showing historic buildings and the sunken USS Arizona. 180 minutes The History Channel Presents – Pearl Harbor:

The Definitive Documentary This History Channel production provides an in-depth look at the Japanese attack on the American Pacific fleet in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The 2001 documentary traces the roots of the conflict in the Pacific which resulted in the Japanese attack. 150 minutes **Admission to the Film Festival is free to Museum Members and with paid Museum Admission

she was five years old. Preston’s talk is not about being a victim, which she is not.

She is a survivor. Preston has a message of survival, love, and hope for a better future.

Kati Preston speaks at many venues – schools, colleges, churches, and pretty much anywhere where people are willing to listen. She feels that her presentations make a difference, however small.

Tuesday, August 16 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Tuesday, September 6 from 7:00 – 8:00pm

Fighting “Jane Crow”: African-American Women in World War II Lecture by Dr. Sarah Batterson D u r i n g W o r l d War II, African-Americans helped fight fascism and racism in Europe as factory workers, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and nurses while at the same time they were being continually subjected to segregation, violence, and prejudice at home. For African-American women, the wartime experience provided unprecedented job opportunities and improved financial stability, which essentially ended at the close of the war. By exploring individual biographies and organizational histories, Sarah Batterson investigates the impact of World War II on African-American women and assess how the war both expanded opportunities for women and exposed gender and racial prejudices, which set the ground-work for the Civil Rights Movements of the 1950s and 1960s.

Professor Sarah Batterson holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of New Hampshire and a joint-M.A. in Anthropology and Women’s Studies. She currently teaches courses in AfricanAmerican history and Gender history at the University of New Hampshire. An avid history enthusiast since the age of eight, in her spare time Batterson can be found reading about the past or exploring historical sites around New England.

Tuesday, August 30 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Holocaust to Healing, The Story of a 5-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Lecture and book signing by author Kati Preston Join seventy-five-year-old Kati Preston, a child survivor of the holocaust who was hidden in an attic by a heroic peasant woman.

Preston will discuss how her whole Jewish family was exterminated and how the Hungarian Nazis hunted her with bayonets in the hayloft where she was hidden when

Internment of JapaneseAmericans: A Father’s Voice and a Young Boy’s Remembrances A presentation by David Sakura NH resident David Sakura is a third generation Japanese-American (Sansei).

Prior to WW II, David’s family and relatives lived in Eatonville WA. Shortly after the outbreak of WW II, David’s family was transported along with several hundred friends and neighbors to the Minidoka Relocation Center, in Idaho. While interned, David’s father and three uncles enlisted into the US Army and served with the all Japanese-American 442 Regimental Combat Team, one of the most decorated units in U.S. military history. By using excerpts from his father’s letters from the Minidoka Relocation Center and 8 mm film from his preWW II childhood, David will offer a highly personal account of his family’s internment experiences. Sakura holds a Ph.D in Biochemistry and a MPH from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.

Tuesday, September 13 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

(Note early start.)

On the Wing Movie and discussion with film producer Brad Branch In the midst of winter, 1944, a two-minute air battle took place in the skies above Ehrwald, Austria. The fight involved American and German aircraft. The losses totaled sixteen aircraft, eight on each side, and the lives of more than thirty men. On the Wing is an emotional look at the 15th Air Force, sixty years after that fight, which was one of the shortest and most intensive air battles to occur over central European air space during World War II. This 90-minute documentary film, was conceived and developed by Brad Branch, who also served as executive producer.

Tuesday, September 20, from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

De-coding Espionage in World War II Lecture by Dr. Douglas Wheeler Douglas Wheeler’s intriguing slide-and-lecture presentation features four pivotal World War II espionage and intelligence cases, presented within their historical context. The cases are Britain’s “Double XX system”(MI-5); the “Ultra secret”; the Pearl Harbor surprise attack; and the course and consequences of Soviet espionage on the American A-bomb project, the Manhattan Project.

Wheeler has been a member of the History faculty at the University of New Hampshire, Durham, since 1965. He also lectures for New Hampshire Humanities Council and has authored many articles and chapters and nine books. Wheeler served in U.S. Army Intelligence (1963-65) and has published historical studies in The Intelligencer, which is the journal of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers.

Tuesday, September 27, from 7:00 - 8:00pm

An Examination of the Attack on Pearl Harbor Lecture by Dr. Douglas Wheeler Douglas Wheeler opens his lecture with the following question: “As of December 6, 1941, the U.S. govern-

ment was secretly reading Japan’s highest level diplomatic codes (MAGIC), so why were we so badly surprised on Dec. 7, 1941?” During the course of his lecture, Wheeler discusses the historic context of the attack, which propelled the US into a Pacific and an Atlantic war. He also talks about how the US intelligence system functioned at the time of the attack, presents theories on this still hotly debated topic, and examines the events of Dec. 7, 1941 and their consequences in World War II and global history.

Tuesday, October 4, from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

A Musical Concert by Quint-Essential Winds Quint-Essential Winds debuted in 2008, bringing together five musicians with more than 150 years of collective study and performance spanning three continents. The quintet performs throughout New England performing a variety of musical styles, from classical to popular to seasonal. This evening’s performance includes the works of Mozart, Persichetti, Copland, Beach, Ewazen, D’Rivera, Milhaud, Grainger and Gershwin.

The 2016 Education Programs are made possible by the generous sponsorship of Ron Goodgame and Donna Canney.

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2016 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES & COCHECO TIMES

SPOTLIGHT ON HISTORY

1943 U.S. Navy Recruiting Poster Featuring Doris Miller Poster artist, David Stone Martin

Doris “Dorie” Miller, a steward on the USS West Virginia, distinguished himself by courageous conduct and devotion to duty during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was the first African American awarded the Navy Cross, the service’s highest award, for his actions during the attack.

Miller was born into a sharecropper family in 1919 in Waco, Texas. He helped his father work their cotton farm through early adulthood. Miller eventually enlisted for a six-year tour of duty in the Navy as a Mess Attendant, Third Class, in 1939, the only classification permitted to African Americans at that time.

On December 7, 1941, Miller was serving aboard the West Virginia, anchored in Peal Harbor, Hawaii. When the Japanese attacked the U.S. fleet that day Miller was collecting laundry on deck when the general quarters alarm sounded. Within minutes the entire U.S. fleet was engulfed in a massive offensive by Japanese torpedo planes, bombers, and kamikaze fighters.

In response, Miller went directly to his assigned battle station, the anti-aircraft battery magazine located amidships. However, the battery magazine had already been destroyed by Japanese torpedoes. Miller then went on deck, where amid smoke, fire, and explosions, and because of his physical size and strength, he was ordered to help carry wounded sailors to safer locations on the ship. Soon after, he was dispatched to the bridge by an officer to assist the ship’s Captain, Mervyn Bennion, who had been badly wounded. Miller helped carry Bennion off the bridge to safety, then manned two 50-caliber Browning anti-aircraft machine guns on deck. Despite his lack of training, he drew on his early experience shooting rifles on the family farm, and by his own account, it came naturally: “It wasn’t hard. I just pulled the trigger and she worked fine.” Witnesses say his marksmanship was outstanding. He is generally credited with shooting down three Japanese planes, and some accounts estimate as many as six. But Miller’s heroic actions were brought to a halt by two armor-piercing bombs exploding on deck and five 18-inch torpedoes blasting into the West Virginia’s port side. He and the rest of the crew were ordered to abandon ship, which flooded below decks and sank in the harbor’s shallow water. In the course of the attack, 130 men died and 52 were wounded of the West Virginia’s 1,541 crew members.

Miller was commended by Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox for bravery in the Pearl Harbor attack in 1942, and then received the Navy’s highest award for valor, the Navy Cross, from the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, Chester W. Nimitz. He received a hero’s welcome in Waco and Dallas on shore leave. Over the course of this part of his career, Miller was advanced to Mess Attendant, Second Class, and then First Class, and was promoted to Ship’s Cook, Third Class.

On November 24, 1943, during the Battle of Makin Island, Miller’s ship, the Liscome Bay, was sunk by a Japanese submarine. Along with two-thirds of the Liscome Bay crew, Miller was listed as “presumed dead.” On December 7, 1943 his parents were informed that their twenty-four year old son was “missing in action.”

Making WWII Relevant to Students

“The further back we look, the farther forward we can see” – Winston Churchill One of the hardest, and most important, things we do here at the Wright is to make history relevant to today’s young people. It is vitally important to demonstrate to them that the future is connected with the past.

Nearly two years ago, Wright Museum director Mike Culver saw a documentary film that showed five American D-Day veterans returning to Normandy for the 65th anniversary of that invasion.

He was surprised by the reception the Veterans received from the Normandy school children who treated them like movie stars. The children kissed and hugged the old men, and asked for autographs. The young people’s reaction made Culver wonder why American school children didn’t show the same respect to American WW II veterans. By the end of this film, he began to under-stand the reason.

To the children of Normandy, D-Day was not ancient history. It happened in the children’s own hometowns, often on their own streets and in their backyards; something the children lived with every day of their lives. It didn’t matter that these Americans were killed 65 or 165 years ago. The lives that were lost and the cause of their deaths were relevant to the children.

Culver also learned that the graves of the Americans buried in American cemeteries in Europe have been adopted by European families. In fact there is a waiting list for adoptees! Often the care of the adopted servicemen’s graves has been passed down in families from the 1940s to today. The European families often have photos of the Americans in their homes and know the servicemen’s families. These servicemen are real people – not just white crosses on a green field.

Not long after this, Culver met author Aimee Fogg and learned of the research for her book The Granite Men of Henri Chapelle. Her research about her uncle and the other New Hampshire servicemen buried at Belgium’s Henri Chapelle Cemetery brought the war and these men to life, becoming relevant to her life.

Later, Culver learned that European students do similar research about their own country’s servicemen. And so, he thought, Why can’t we do that here in New Hampshire? Why can’t students here sense the real connection between the past and the present? Culver contacted Mike Folan, a history teacher at Mount Prospect High School in Alton, and suggested re-searching the lives of the servicemen buried in one of the American Cemeteries as a project for his history students. Then he introduced Mike to Aimee, and the “ball was rolling.”

On May 17, from 7:00-8:00 p.m., students from Mount Prospect will present their research on New Hampshire servicemen buried in the Netherland’s Margreten Cemetery in a program at the Wright Museum.

Join us to hear the students make both history and the lives of these servicemen come alive.

Become a Wright Docent Does spending a few hours each week in a great history museum talking to people from all over America and the world sound like fun? If your answer is “Yes,” then the Wright Museum has just the opportunity for you as a docent. Our distinguished Docent Program is seeking additional volunteers.

What do docents do? They act as tour guides who educate our visitors about the Museum, its mission, and our extraordinary permanent collection. You do not have to be a World War II “expert” -- just someone who enjoys people and would find pleasure in making each visitor’s time at the Museum a memorable event.

Since 1994, the Wright Museum’s goal has been to educate, entertain and inspire visitors by sharing the story of the WWII-era Americans who forever changed our nation.

If you consider sharing their legacy as important as we do, and want to help, please contact Mike Culver or Donna Hamill at 603-569-1212 or e-mail Mike at Michael.Culver@WrightMuseum.org

2016 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES & COCHECO TIMES

2016 SPECIAL EVENT

Have Fun at Family Day

Sunday, July 10th from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Wright Museum’s annual Family Day will take place on Sunday, July 10, from 11am to 3pm If you have been to it before, you know that this is one of our most popular events for both young and old alike.

As usual, Family Day offers plenty of fun activities for everyone. You can ride around Wolfeboro in our World War IIera vehicles. Children of all ages can have their faces painted; play games and win prizes; watch magic shows; have “Mo” the balloon artist twist balloons into all sorts of shapes for them; have an artist sketch caricatures of them; listen to live music by the New England Country Boys; and watch two live animal shows presented by staff from the Squam Lake Natural Science Center.

You can talk to military and civilian World War II re-enactors about their roles on the warfront and on the home front. And you can tour the Museum and learn how American men, women, and children lived during the war years and what they did to support the war effort.

Off-site parking is available in the Wolfeboro Municipal Parking Lot, just a short walk down the Bridge Fall Path. Or if you want to ride in a World War II military vehicle, you can park at the Nick and be ferried to and from the museum in our vehicles.

Adults $12; children 5-17 $10; Museum members $9. Food will be available to purchase.

Family Day is made possible in part by contributions from Black’s Paper Store and from People’s United Bank; Wolfeboro Trolley Company.

2016 SPECIAL CONCERT

Laugh to the Maine Humor of Tim Sample

Saturday, July 30th from 7-9pm in Anderson Hall Tim Sample stands out as probably the bestknown Maine humorist among a field of many.

For decades, Sample has been delivering jokes about downeast living to enthralled audiences all over New England, and he shows no signs of stopping.

This season, Sample is putting on a benefit performance for the Wright Museum, “An Evening of Maine Humor with Tim Sample.” The fundraiser takes place on July 30th from 7:009:00 p.m. in Anderson Hall, located at 205 South Main Street on the Brewster Academy campus. (Limited parking is available. Additional parking is within walking distance.)

A Maine native himself, Sample is known for both his delivery and his downeast accent. He bases his humor on the en-counters between two cultures -- laconic, self-sufficient, seemingly simple-minded Mainiacs and truly clueless vacationers and day trippers.

Sample is known nationally for his “Postcards from Maine” segment for Sunday Morning with Charles Kuralt on CBS. Over eleven years, he produced 100 “postcards,” introducing downeast living to country-wide and international audiences.

Tickets for the benefit fundraiser are $15 and can be purchased at the museum or online at www.TimSampleDowneastHumor.eventbrite.com. Seating is limited, so get your tickets early.

For more information, check our web site at www.wrightmuseum.org.

The Tim Sample show is made possible in part with contributions by Missing Link Equipment; Wolfeboro Oil Company.

SPOTLIGHT ON HISTORY Partial Transcription of a two-sided December 10, 1941 letter from Virginia Goodgame to her parents who lived in Los Angeles.

Wright Museum Permanent Collection 2012.038.001 Gift of Ron Goodgame Dec 10 [1941] Dear Mother, Father and Auntie, I hardly know how to begin, so much has happened these past few days. Know you have heard and read all about the bombing of Oahu. [Naval Officer Robert E. Goodgame, his wife Virginia and son Ron arrived in Hawaii in 1940. Virginia and Ron would leave the island in mid-December 1941 when military families were evacuated and sent to San Diego. Young Ron Goodgame caught the measles and the transport ship was quarantined for a day or two on arrival in San Diego. In 1944, Robert Goodgame was promoted to Commander. In early 1945, his plane disappeared near the Admiralty Islands and he was declared lost on January 27, 1945.]

I have been staying at the Donnelly’s since Thursday because the Minnie has been at sea. Went out two days before the attacks. [This refers to the heavy cruiser Minneapolis which was out on maneuvers with the aircraft carriers and thus escaped being in Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack.]

Sunday morning [referring to Dec. 7] we heard a lot of firing and thought it was rather unusual being the Sabbath. We went out on the porch to see where the firing was coming from. Mrs. Donnelly’s place is in Monoa Valley on the side of a hill so we had a good view. [on Oahu and about 3 miles east and inland from Honolulu and was mostly agricultural up until the 1940’s] Thought it was just our planes practicing bombing, when the woman next door yelled over to be careful about standing out in the open. “Those are honest to goodness bombs being dropped by the Japs,” she said. We thought she was fooling and laughed at her. “Go turn on your radio,” she said. Just as we turned on the radio the announcer was telling everyone to get off the streets as we were being attacked. We nearly passed out.

Planes [Japanese] were flying overhead about that time. Didn’t know where to go. Whether to stay in the house or go out. Just as we stepped out on the porch again we heard a terrible screech and knew a bomb was coming. We ran inside as fast as our legs could carry us.

It hit about thirty feet from our house – made a hole about twelve feet in diameter, went into the ground about four feet then out of sight under a cement floor of a garage.

Fortunately it didn’t go off. Four Army men dug it up this morning but we didn’t see it. [Later, the bomb removal men told the Goodgames that they were very lucky that the bomb didn’t explode] Another bomb dropped on a house a block away and made splinter wood out of half of it. I was in favor of moving to my place at Waikiki but everyone said it was more dangerous there. [When Robert Goodgame was “home”, the family lived on Waikiki Beach near what is now Ft. Derussy] About eleven AM the firing stopped but plenty of damage was done. We have been having blackouts every night and believe me the nights are long. We put the children to bed then sit and listen to programs broadcast from the mainland [continental U.S.]. Things are surely in a mess.

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2016 WRIGHT MUSEUM NEWS - A SPECIAL FEATURE TO THE WEIRS TIMES & COCHECO TIMES

Free Outdoor Concert by 39th U.S. Army Band The Wright Museum invites you to celebrate July 4th at our “Almost July 4th Band Concert” on July 2nd from 1:00-2:00 p.m. The free outdoor concert is our early July 4th gift to the community So enjoy the “official start of the summer” and bring your lawn chairs, blankets, and non-alcoholic refreshments. Then relax and enjoy the stirring sounds of the full 39th U.S. Army band play a variety of music.

Wright Museum Participates in Blue Star Program

To honor our active-duty military personnel, the Wright Museum is participating again in the 7th annual Blue Star Museums Program, which offers free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families. The program runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day (Monday, May 30 through Monday, September 5), 2016.

Free Admission with Museum Day Live! Ticket Once again the Wright Museum is participating in the Smithsonian Museum Day Live! program in September of 2016. On that day we will be one of 1400 museums around the country that give free admission to visitors who have Museum Day Live! tickets.

To learn more about Museum Day Live!, including the date, and to see a list of participating museums, visit www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday.

2016 SPECIAL EVENT

Cruise in to The 4th Annual Antique Auto Show Saturday, August 20th from 10am-2pm

This year, our 4th annual “Cruise-in to the Wright Antique Automobile and Motorcycle Show” will be held on Saturday, August 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (rain or shine).

The show will feature live music, from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m., performed by the Rockin Daddios.

Food will be available to purchase from MacDaddy’s Rollin’ Smoke BBQ. Remember, only the first 100 vehicles will be allowed into the show. This year you can easily register your vehicle online at www.wrightmuseum.org. You also can contact us by e-mailing Donna Hamill at donna.hamill@wrightmuseum. org or by calling her at 603-569-1212.

There is a non-refundable $10 registration fee for each vehicle. Autos and motorcycles must be at least 25 years old and be in authentic condition. Sorry – no hot rods and customized vehicles are allowed.

Regular museum admission admits you to both the Car Show and to the Wright Museum. (We are part of the Blue Star pro-gram which gives free admission to all active duty military when they show their ID between Memorial Day and Labor Day.) The antique auto show is made possible in part with contributions from Sunday Paving & Sealing; Calico Graphics.

2016 SPECIAL CONCERT

An Evening With The Bel Airs Tuesday, August 23rd, 7-9pm

2016

We’re Proud to Announce that Yankee Magazine Picked The Wright Museum As...

“the Best 20th Century History Museum” in New England!

Step into the time machine, return to the 1950s, and spend an evening listening to the sound of New Hampshire’s premier doo-wop group, the award-winning Bel Airs. The group is putting on a special benefit performance for the Wright Museum, “An Evening with The Bel Airs,” on August 23rd, from 7-9pm.

The benefit fundraiser will be held in Anderson Hall, located at 205 South Main Street on the Brewster Academy campus. (Limited parking is available.

Additional parking is within walking distance.)

What is doo-wop? The music has a unique vocal harmony. The tenor usually sings the melody, backed up by the other members singing background harmony.

Nonsense phrases, such as “doo-wop” and “sh-boom sh-boom,” are an important part of the song.

Popular songs of the doo-wop era include such all-time greats as “At the Hop,”

by Danny and the Juniors; “16 Candles,” by The Crests; “Crying in the Chapel,”

by The Orioles; and “The Great Pretender,” by The Platters.

For older folks, the unique doo-wop sound will bring back memories of car hops, DA (ducks ass) haircuts, drive-in theaters, poodle skirts, bobby socks, and sock hops. Younger folks will thrill to a vocal style that defined the 1950s and early ‘60s, and continues to influence us today.

The Bel Airs have played all over New England. They won New Hampshire Magazine’s Best Doo-Wop Group Award (2012) and the Readers Choice Award (2013).

Tickets for the benefit fundraiser are $15 and can be purchased at the museum or online at www.thebelairs.eventbrite.com. Seating is limited, so get your tickets early.

For more information, go to http://www.wrightmuseum.org.

The Bel Airs concert is made possible in part by a contribution from Pam McKinley.