Accomplishments 2012

Transcription

1 BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES B. THAYER OREGON MILITARY MUSEUM SE Industrial Way Camp Withycombe Clackamas, Oregon Phone (503) Fax (503) DSN Accomplishments 2012 What a wonderful year this has been for the Museum. We have met so many new supporters, donors, and genuinely interested people. Many projects moved forward. Numerous fund raising and friend raising events are propelling us to our goals. We thank you for your support, guidance, and interest! We are very grateful to all who have assisted us as we transform the Museum, and work toward reopening. Together we have accomplished so many amazing things! New Name, New Phone Number, New Websites: The Museum has a new name! It is now named in honor of Retired Brigadier General James B. Thayer, one of Oregon s finest military and civic leaders. Thayer joined the U.S. Army in 1942, earning the prestigious Silver and Bronze Stars for his combat service. His anti-tank mine platoon discovered and liberated the Nazi death camp, Gunskirchen Lager, near Wels, Austria. More than 15,000 Hungarian-Jewish refugees were saved that day. The $6.5M Capital Campaign kickoff dinner and auction All Star Salute to the Oregon Military was a tremendously successful occasion. Held at the Oregon Golf Club in West Linn on May 18, the sold-out event netted $350,000. Sincere and deep appreciation goes out to all those who made the event a huge success, especially master of ceremonies and golfing pro Peter Jacobsen, Kiss s lead guitarist Tommy Thayer, and the entire Thayer family. Launched in November 2011, our website has grown steadily, with more than 2,000 hits per month. Visitors have come from every continent except Antarctica! Regular updates and reports on our progress are posted under the News section. Other related websites are also available that provide information about us: For the Capital Campaign, please visit: For the Historical Outreach Foundation: Our new name, as well as changes in our address and conversion to digital phones, precipitated redesigning and updating all Museum letterhead, forms, brochures, websites, and other published materials. Page 1 of 10

2 Who s Who: Museum: Tracy Thoennes, Curator/Director, full time non-dual status technician, serves on the National Guard Bureau s Museum Advisory Council Executive Board. Kathleen Daly, Museum Technician, full time contractor, serves as a member-at-large to the Oregon Museum Association s Board of Directors, and Treasurer for the Registrars Committee - Western Region, American Alliance of Museums. Lou Miller III, intern, part-time, Portland State University. Museum Soldier Detachment: CW2 Robert Ryan, Officer in Charge; SPC Bob Frasco; and SSG Jonathon Nasson. To our volunteer corps, we send hearty and sincere thanks to each person. We are so very fortunate to have this fabulous and dedicate group of people! A total of 2,819 volunteer hours were donated in 2012! This equates to a donation of $61, for in-kind services provided at this year s philanthropic hourly rate of $21.79 per hour. Our top five volunteers (based on hours): Mark Stevens, Phil Richart, Art May, John Rasmussen, and Mike Guarino. Historical Outreach Foundation Staff: Alisha Hamel, Executive Director Helen Gundlach, Development Director Historical Outreach Foundation Board: Raymond C. Byrne, Jr., Brigadier General (Retired), President Mark L. Rathburn, Vice President Bob Tom, Tribal Elder, Vice President Zach Davidson, Treasurer Donald F. Bond, Colonel (Retired) Richard Botteri Larry McClure Capital Campaign Leadership: Victor G. Atiyeh, Honorary Chair, Governor of Oregon ( ) Theodore R. Kulongoski, Honorary Chair, Governor of Oregon ( ) Terry W. Emmert, Founder and President, Emmert International Jim Linkous, Regional Vice President & General Manager, ViaWest, Inc. Amy Maxwell, Patrick Lamb Productions, LLC Craig Roberts, Clackamas County Martha Schrader, Clackamas County Commissioner Jim Thayer, Jr., Business Executive John Thayer, President, J. Thayer Company Mike Thayer, Proprietor, Pete s Mountain Vineyard & Winery Tommy Thayer, Lead Guitarist, KISS Advisors: Brigadier General (Retired) James B. Thayer, Sr., Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army (Emeritus) Major General Raymond F. Rees, The Adjutant General, Oregon Brigadier General (ORSDF) Mike Caldwell, Deputy Director State Affairs, Oregon Military Department Colonel (Retired) Donald F. Bond, Chief of Staff, Oregon National Guard Page 2 of 10

3 Historical Outreach Foundation and the Capital Campaign The Museum s supporting 501(c)(3) is the Historical Outreach Foundation. Major activities include fund raising and friend raising events to support the $6.5 million Capital Campaign, creation of campaign promotional materials, Museum behind-the-scenes tours for VIPs, table displays and presentations at numerous community events, and developing strategic partnerships. Thirteen grant request submissions were also made, of which one is pending, and three were funded. The Campaign s vision is to create high-quality visitor experiences that investigate Oregon s military history and commemorate Oregonians military service. The $6.5M Capital Campaign has seven goals: Become a regionally significant museum with an expanded audience and better defined character. Create new educational exhibits and enhance the public s access to powerful and meaningful learning experiences. Prepare, protect, and preserve Oregon military-related artifacts and library materials. Enhance visitor experiences and visitor services. Support historic military research and study. Upgrade building systems to meet minimum museum standards, such as adding air conditioning. Modernize environments with greater energy efficiency and durability. Our sincere and heartfelt thanks go to the Foundation, Capital Campaign Leadership, Advisors, and the many generous donors and sponsors who have contributed to the Campaign! Facilities Improvements and Major Projects of 2012: On a very happy note, one of the largest goals of the Museum renovation project, to update and modernized the old heating system and add first-time air conditioning, is in its final stages. The year-long HVAC renovation project, (originally planned to last 6 months), created nine new climate zones that greatly help us in our mission to preserve and provide access to the historically significant objects and archives entrusted to us. The old hot water boiler dated from 1947, and constantly required new parts. The system spewed a gritty, black soot into the air. Goodbye for now to the banging, the concrete cutting, the sawing, and the thick, clinging drywall dust! And, so long forever to the black soot, the hot summers, the faulty pumps, and water pipes overhead of artifacts and books! Throughout the entire 32,000 square foot facility, almost every ceiling was torn out, and some were replaced, while others were left open (on purpose). Nine new HVAC units were installed on the roof. All new ductwork was snaked and networked through the walls and ceilings. Over the summer, demolition could finally occur on the old heating system since it was no longer needed. All of the old radiators and hydronic system (hot water pipes) were patiently drained into trash bins and demoed, then the repairs Page 3 of 10

4 were made to cinderblock, drywall, and brick wall surfaces. Cutting the openings for the roof top units also occurred once the weather permitted. Where needed, hazardous materials were abated, and each of the three gas leaks were quickly resolved. Electricians worked their magic, and the controls guys worked theirs. The project demanded much of the staff s time. The entire contents of the 32,000 square foot building were leapfrogged from storage area to storage area, and rearranged numerous times to accommodate the demolition and installation. The future exhibit hall (Drill Hall) was filled and emptied twice. Copious amounts of plastic sheeting were used and reused to secure and protect Museum assets that had to remain in work zones. The staff worked hard to maintain security and safety in the facility, to work with contractors on issues as they arose, and to escort contractors in areas where artifacts or valuable assets remained. Numerous roof leaks from the HVAC project occurred throughout the year. Most are now repaired, with just a few pending (waiting for a dry spell). At times, they appeared in locations with no previous history of leaking. The staff remains vigilant in reviewing the entire facility almost daily to monitor any changes. For the first time in the history of this Museum, I am most happy to report that we have acquired museum-quality archival housing cabinets for our irreplaceable collections. The challenge was finding a safe place to store these cabinets until the rooms where they permanently reside were ready. Once the HVAC was completed in the future collections storage areas (approximately 4,000 square feet), the areas were painted and prepared. Floor plans were created to maximize the available storage space. Open storage shelving units, art racks, and 25 new 90 tall Page 4 of 10

5 museum-quality storage cabinets have now been moved into place and begun to be set up. The cabinets had to be emptied of more than 400 adjustable trays (drawers), and laid on edge to be moved into their new homes. We have just barely begun the task of unpacking the artifact collection. While hundreds of artifacts have been unpacked, housed archivally, and their new locations updated in databases, we still have about 12,000 objects to go. We are starting mainly with the larger objects that go on the open storage shelving units. Approximately 35 pallets out of the 160 pallets and custom crates have been unpacked! We have also been working with the many objects that have been received since our move and were never palletized. The Museum acquired an additional 3,000 square feet of space when the previous tenant, DLA Document Services (formerly DAPS) moved out of the Museum building. The timing couldn t have been better the space was immediately cleaned and completely filled during the leapfrogging of Museum assets and objects, then emptied as other spaces became available and filled again! This space will eventually become the Library and Archives. The previously earmarked Library area will now become exhibit space, increasing exhibit capacity from approximately 12,000 square feet to 15,000. From battling multiple heaters, pumps, and water heaters repeated malfunctioning to spending afternoons changing burned out light bulbs and ballasts, from trapping ground squirrels under the building to birds nesting above the Drill Floor buttresses, more than 35 work requests were addressed by the very able and wonderful State Shop folks! We can t say thank you enough, for the new keys, dehumidifiers, paint, gutter cleaning, etc! An important part of museum management is pest monitoring and control. We continue with monthly visits from Orkin. Our intern Lou Miller does an amazing job of conducting and tracking his weekly inspections of approximately 135 sticky traps. (Thankfully Lou does not have a fear of the huge spiders we capture weekly.) More than 20 wasp nests were removed from the Battery A Barn attic. We are grateful we have seen very few mice, silverfish, beetles, moths, and ants since we began our pest management program. If these critters are not monitored and stopped quickly, they can wreak great havoc on a museum s collections. Another major milestone has been met! Finally, after years of effort and for the very first time, the Museum and the USPFO have completed all the hand-receipt compliance requirements for the Museum's 1,518 federal artifacts. All but one long-term discrepancies and unanswered requests with the U.S. Army Center of Military History (CMH) and the Tank Automotive Command (TACOM) were resolved. Page 5 of 10

6 The Oregon Military Museum Hall of Valor was established. Introduced at the All Star Salute event, three very special Oregonians became the first inductees. This year s recipients were from the World War II era: Leonard DeWitt, recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross. Erling E. Jacobsen, recipient of the Navy Cross. Robert D. Maxwell, recipient of the Congressional Medal of Honor. A radiological survey was completed for artifacts on loan from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. TSgt Mark Johnson, the Oregon Air National Guard Installation Radiation Safety officer, completed several on-site visits to help us ensure we are in compliance with the Air Force s requirements. We also received expertise from National Guard Bureau s Electronic Security System (ESS) office who conducted a walk-through with our in-house ESS staff, to help us determine our future needs and the potential challenges we face. In addition to meeting the requirements for quarterly weapons inventories, inventories were completed for the Battery A Barn, Compound D, and Building 6520 (shop). All databases were updated to reflect these inventories as well. Kathleen Daly does a great job as our Environmental Point of Contact (EPOC), and the staff and volunteers have completed all necessary training. The Museum once again had zero findings during this year s IPAS environmental inspections. We continued to battle maintaining museum standards of environmental control of temperature and relative humidity in sensitive object areas, by monitoring and recording findings with data loggers. We wrestle with both humidifiers and dehumidifiers to try to keep our artifacts within the non-fluctuating climate zone. We also worked on displays in the Oregon Military Department s conference room about Brevet Brigadier General Owen Summers and created a docent guide for the exhibits in the 41 st Infantry Division Armed Forces Reserve Center. More than 40 macro artifacts have been identified and researched for our upcoming permanent exhibits. The first, rough draft of signage has been written. From the 6- Pounder Civil War era field gun to a World War I Salmson aircraft engine, from the 1918 Liberty Truck to the versatile amphibious DUKW, and from paratroops D-day folding bicycle to the McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom s 20mm SUU cannon, there will be artifacts from every major military era. The Museum Compound (outdoor storage) was cleaned of excess items and reorganized to use much less space. The project included deaccessioning and working out the final disposition of numerous trailers, shelters, and vehicles. We also resolved a number of issues with various alarm systems, and findings from a fire marshal visit. This year, we launched our Oregon Stories project with the theme Everyone has a story. What is yours? A press release announced our project to gather Oregon military stories, for inclusion in the new Museum. We are asking Oregon veterans and their family members to share their memorable military stories with us (500 words or less, please). Entries should include the service branch, dates of service, and highest rank. Restorations Shop and Detachment Thanks to the help of many Oregon National Guard folks and volunteers, the following objects have been restored this year and/or freshly painted and are now on display in the Heritage Park area: World War I German 210mm Krupp long mortar Page 6 of 10

7 Korean Era M42A1 Duster self-propelled gun Korean Era M41A3 Walker Bulldog light tank Additional restorations were conducted on the Vietnam Era 5 ton M816 Wrecker and the Japanese Type mm howitzer. It was discovered the howitzer actually saw combat, based on finding a bullet hole in the brake hand wheel under the seat. Current on-going projects include the World War II M29C Weasel, the World War II MB quarter ton Truck (Jeep), and the Quad.50 machine gun mount. By the Numbers We participated in 17 community and National Guard events. The staff fielded and assisted with 132 research requests from on-site visitors, phone calls, and mail. 43 VIP behind-the-scenes tours and project updates were given at the Museum. Even with a moratorium in place on new donations for part of the year, due to the construction dust, debris, and security concerns, a total of 35 artifact donations were accepted, with 111 objects catalogued to date. (More cataloguing is needed, but time constraints have caused a backlog to form.) 35 existing outgoing loans with hundreds of objects and 6 incoming loans were renewed. Collections Totals as of December 31, 2012: As time permitted, cleaning of our database has occurred from its many previous conversions. Current stats: 14,225 catalogued library books, manuals and periodicals records. With 14,000 [+/-] awaiting processing. 14,209 catalogued objects records. With 1,000 [+/-] objects awaiting processing from inherited backlog. 9,782 title headings on file folders in our Archives. 1,542 contacts records. 352 loan records, both incoming and outgoing. 42 photos/photo sets. With tens of thousands [+/-] photographs awaiting to be unpacked and processed New Artifacts Highlights: We are indeed very grateful for the incredible artifacts and collections that have come in. There are too many to list here, though highlights of the incredible history that has been preserved and will become accessible may be found online in the Museum s monthly reports: A few objects stand out, however: the Museum took possession of its F86F Sabre jet that is on loan to us from the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The aircraft relocation to Camp Withycombe was a success despite a few very tight squeezes, thanks to the great crew of Oregon Guard airmen and soldiers, as well as many Page 7 of 10

8 volunteers. Special thanks go to Chief Master Sergeant John Rasmussen, who was a major sponsor and the team leader. Another stand-out donation is a World War II Willys- Overland quarter ton truck (Jeep), in very original condition, along with a quarter ton trailer. The donor s family acquired the Jeep in 1946 in its original crate. The vehicle had been garaged ever since! Our thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Mel Swire! Also exciting was the acquisition of two World War II Bren light machine guns, one of which is a cutaway, from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The acquisition process took many months of coordination between several agencies. Additionally, many 2011 donations were processed, and 26 new library books were added to the catalogue. Seventeen Events - * Presentation / ** Table display / *** Vehicles display: Speaking Presentations to outside groups: Jan 20 West Point Society of Oregon monthly luncheon. * April 15 Oregon National Guard Retirees Council luncheon. * June 26 Korean War Veterans Association Portland Chapter luncheon. * Oct 23 Clackamas Rotary luncheon. * Vehicle Displays and/or Table-top Exhibits: March 16 Dedication and opening of the Camp Withycombe Express (Post Exchange). *** May 10 4 th Annual Historic Preservation Month Fair, Capitol Lawn. ** May 17 Oregon State Capitol Armed Forces Day celebration. *** May 18 All Star Salute to Oregon Military (Capital Campaign major fund raising event). **/*** May th Annual Living History Day at Camp Withycombe. **/*** May 30 Memorial Day at Willamette National Cemetery. *** June 14 Governor s and Oregon National Guard s business officials executive briefing, Portland Air Base, on Flag Day. ** July 19 Association of the US Army Columbia Chapter Golf Tournament and Museum fund raiser. *** July th Maintenance Company Unit BBQ at Camp Withycombe. *** Aug 4 Great Oregon Steam Up. *** Oct 26 North Clackamas Chamber event (HOF). ** Nov 9 Veterans Day Open House at Camp Withycombe. **/*** Nov Albany Veterans Day Parade. *** Page 8 of 10

9 Events Highlights: May 19, Armed Forces Day, we co-sponsored the 16 th Annual Living History Day at Camp Withycombe with the Military Vehicle Collectors Club of Oregon. Approximately 400 visitors enjoyed 39 military vehicles on display and several re-enactor groups. November 9, the Veterans Day Open House at Camp Withycombe was a huge success, with more than 1,000 free lunches provided by Fred Meyer. The event recognized those supporting the Museum Capital Campaign. The Museum presented indoor displays from all the major war eras. We also provided living history interpreters, from Lewis and Clark to the Indian Wars, from the Spanish-American War to World War I, World War II to Korea, and Vietnam to today s Global War on Terrorism, to answer questions about the 100+ artifacts. The Museum even had a World War II Harley Davidson motorcycle and a Vietnam era M274 Mule. Among the educational displays were Tribal dancers from Chemawa Indian School. November 10, the Albany Veterans Day Parade had an outstanding crowd this year, with an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 folks lining the streets! Museum staff and volunteers were joined by the Pacific Northwest Historical Group s living history interpreters. Professional Training and Workshops Given: In January, Ms. Thoennes attended National Guard Bureau s Museum Advisory Council (MAC) meeting at Jackson Barracks, Louisiana. The recovery efforts from Hurricane Katrina have allowed the Louisiana National Guard to build a new $11M museum to replace the one that was completely destroyed. In April, Ms. Daly was a presenter at the Collections Management workshop at the Northwest Archivists and Oregon Heritage Joint Conference. In August, Ms. Thoennes presented two sessions at the National Guard Museums Annual Training Course, Rapid City, South Dakota. In October, Ms. Daly attended and presented a session at the Oregon Museums Association Annual Meeting in Ashland, Oregon Publications that include the Museum and/or its objects: The $6.5M Capital Campaign kickoff dinner and auction All Star Salute to the Oregon Military was featured several times in the Oregonian newspaper. Reporter Mike Francis s website has the full story and links to many photos: A new full-color, 65-page pamphlet titled the National Guard Museum Directory was published by the National Guard Bureau s Historical Service Division. The Oregon Military Museum has a two-page spread. The Museum s 41 st Infantry Division Fort Lewis field jacket was featured in the article Le Blouson de Fort Lewis in the well known French magazine Militaria, (No. 324). The article is the result of research assistance provided to the article s author Philippe Charbonnier. A four-page, full-color article by Roy Stevenson features the Museum and its vehicle collection in the July 2012 issue of the popular British magazine Military Machines International. Page 9 of 10

10 The September/October 2012 issue of Vets News, a publication of the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs, features an article regarding the May 18 th All Star Salute event, launching the Museum s Capital Campaign. The article can be found here: Comments and Kudos for the Museum: From Victor Atiyeh, Governor of Oregon ( ) and Theodore Kulongoski, Governor of Oregon ( ): We are honored to be part of this extraordinary effort to preserve the history of the thousands of Oregon veterans who have served their state and nation so valiantly. The men and women who made Oregon's military history deserve a special place for future generations to come and learn about their sacrifices and triumphs." From Mark Whitlock, US Army Center of Military History s National Guard Museum Liaison: The staff of the Oregon Military Museum leads the way in professionalism and initiative and serve as a fine example for other museums in the Army Museum System to follow. Your state and command can be very proud of the fine job they are doing. From K. Paul Luntsford, lighting designer: I wanted to thank you for the time you spent today, giving the four of us (all competitors!) such a wonderful and enlightening tour. Your explanation of the vision, the goals and the relationship between the various authorities which affect this project and its design was very helpful to me. The uniforms, weapons and other phenomenal artifacts we saw today are moving.and personal. Through these items, those who are gone can still speak to us who are alive. We can hear their stories and get even a small glance into what was their daily life during strong and passionate times. I look forward to the time when the museum is complete, and I can take my grown daughters and grandchildren through it, and help explain to them things they would otherwise never know. They have seen all of the artifacts that I have from my Dad, and to my grandkids, they are not much more than objects on shelves. But in such a setting as your museum, they become stories to remember. My Dad worked as a steamfitter in the Portland Shipyards, and after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, enlisted in the Navy as a Seabee. He served in eight island invasions in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, and brought home so many things, many of which have been passed on to me. Every one of them came with a story or two that he told to me about how, where, why, what.and some clever anecdote related to the item. But while they have sentimental meaning to my daughters as Pop-Pop s war things, they have so much more to tell. Your tour today awakened that in me, and I just wanted to thank you for doing so.i feel enriched because of today. From Alice Parman, Ph.D.: The breadth and depth of the collections and the professionalism of the staff make the Oregon Military Museum one of the foremost historical collections of the Pacific Northwest. From Boston author Jon Gawne, regarding research and photographs we provided for his upcoming publication on the M1941 field jacket (aka Ike jacket): I have to say I have NEVER EVER had such service from any Govt related organization in many years of researching this stuff. I really have to thank you for such fine work A final note: I must say that I am amazed each time I write the end-of-year accomplishments. With such a small paid staff, and so many amazing people giving freely of their time, I say again, thanks to all for such a successful year! Just look at what we accomplished! Best wishes for a prosperous and healthy New Year! - Tracy Page 10 of 10