BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES B. THAYER OREGON MILITARY MUSEUM

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1 BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES B. THAYER OREGON MILITARY MUSEUM SE Industrial Way Camp Withycombe Clackamas, Oregon Phone (503) Fax (503) DSN The Oregon Military Museum Monthly Report July 6-August 10, 2012 FRONT LINES Thank you for your support and interest in the Brigadier General James B. Thayer Oregon Military Museum! RECENT HAPPENINGS: Please check out the Museum s Capital Campaign website at It features up-to-date information about the campaign, upcoming events, and a media room. We have been working with the Historical Outreach Foundation s Director of Development, Helen Gundlach, and the Oregon Military Department s Installations Branch on grant proposals and developing strategic partnerships. We have met with and provided tours for five different organizations and foundations, including the staff of the Clackamas County Tourism & Cultural Affairs Department. We have established office space for the Historical Outreach Foundation s use. The quarterly weapons inventory was completed. Our thanks (and welcome) to new volunteer Sheldon Carpenter for his assistance. We answered thirteen research requests this month, two of which were regarding potentially live ordnance. 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. We have completed a long-term project to gather, organize, and merge numerous old mailing lists and contacts. Thanks to volunteers and interns, more than 2,000 handwritten addresses of past visitors sign-in sheets, tour survey forms, and event participants were verified and entered into an excel spreadsheet. The list was then scoured for duplicates. Volunteers and interns, past and present, have completed entering all the data and text from ten boxes of old exhibit labels. This will greatly aid the research required to draft new signage for upcoming exhibits. The World War I Krupp 210mm German Lange Mörser (Long Mortar) is now painted and back on outdoor display. Several meetings have taken place to gather research on whether to replace or refurbish existing windows and doors on the 32,000 s.f. Clackamas Armory building. Page 1 of 5

2 The Museum provided living historians (reenactors) and military vehicles for two events this month the Columbia River Chapter of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) golf event and the Great Oregon Steam-Up at Antique Powerland in Brooks, Oregon. HVAC PROJECT UPDATE: All nine new HVAC systems have undergone their initial start up and are being brought online! Programming and air balancing are taking place now to complete their set up. Staff priorities have been to assist the contractors and to help develop a punch list, as we near the final phases and completion of the HVAC project. The demolition in the boiler room is now complete! Built in the 1940s, the boiler heated the Clackamas Armory building for almost 60 years. To dismantle and scrap it, each of the 400-pound vertical sections required a chain hoist and a whole lot of muscle. On three separate occasions, gas leaks were caused but quickly and safely resolved. Page 2 of 5

3 100% of the ductwork fabrication and installation is now complete. The ceiling in the women s public restroom is finished. Relative humidity controls in collections storage areas require water supply and condensate drain lines. We redesigned their layout to alleviate having them overhead of artifacts as much as possible. Drain pans under humidifier units are even alarmed, to warn of malfunction and overflow. Wall and ceiling repairs are on-going, to be followed with a final punch list, inspections, and a thorough facility cleaning. Page 3 of 5

4 PENDING and UPCOMING: Efforts to clean up our compound space have resumed. Seven more vehicles (mostly rusting remains and chassis) have been identified, photographed, and fully described. To deaccession them, we are working with the State Surplus office, which utilizes ebay (public auction) for its method of disposition. We are developing a plan to reorganize the future main exhibit hall (Drill Floor). This 10,000 s.f. space currently houses approximately 150 pallets containing more than 2,000 cardboard boxes and 1,000 archival boxes, as well as the cabinets and shelving units in which the collections will eventually reside. This reorganization will accommodate the arrival of the North American F-86F Sabre Jet, and sets in motion the monumental process of unpacking, so we can begin preparing the space for our future exhibits. In the middle of the sea of pallets, intern Lou Miller inspects for any damage, infestation, or changes. We have begun the process of inventory and transfer of historical property at Umatilla Army Depot. We continue learning new policies and procedures for Ms. Daly s contract management. Page 4 of 5

5 We are working with the Information Management Department to make updates to our website. We continue drafting our Digital Collections Policy (how to process, manage and provide access to digital materials in the Museum collections). Thousands of image and information files have already been created and await processing. As time permits, we continue normal day-to-day operations such as processing and accessioning previously donated items. Our donation moratorium is still in place, until we have a clean space available to process new donations. Can you help us identify this.75 inch diameter lapel pin or badge? The cutout spread eagle, looking over its left shoulder, is superimposed over a banner and has arrows and laurel leaves in its claws. The post is threaded, and the fastener nut is stamped "The Victory Pat. Nov " This stamp is found on many circa 1910 civilian, fraternal, and Masonic organizations lapel pins. The pin was found with circa 1900 Grand Army of the Republic and Sons of Union Veterans coat buttons. At the Restoration Shop: Volunteers and soldiers have been hard at work. Current projects include the M29 Weasel, the Type 91 Japanese howitzer and accessories, the Quad.50 machine gun mount, two 10-inch projectiles, and the 13- inch projectile. Assessments for restoring one of the Hiller 12E helicopters are underway as well. Below, construction of a seat cover pattern, working leather parts, and turning wood to make the mold for a cast bronze ramrod part. Below, the Quad.50 gets a cleaning, an aiming stake is created, and three new very large projos receive needed treatment CALENDAR / UPCOMING EVENTS: Aug NG Museum Training course, Rapid City, SD. Curator to present two sessions. Sept North American F-86F Sabre Jet relocation project begins. Nov 9 Veterans Day Open House, 41 st Infantry Division Armed Forces Reserve Center Nov 10 Albany Veterans Day Parade Again, thank you for your support and interest! If you wish to join our list to be notified when new reports have been posted online, please us at museuminfo@oregonmilitarymuseum.org. Page 5 of 5