The Museum Association of New York (MANY), Troy, New York, announced the winners of its 2015 Awards of Merit, an annual award presented to New York State Museums and Heritage Organizations. A total of fifteen projects ranging from exhibitions to educational programs received statewide recognition.
The Greece Historical Society received a Certificate of Commendation for its “Our Town in World War II” project.
Bill Sauers, President of the Greece Historical Society, will accept the award on April 18, 2016 during the Museum Association of New York’s Annual Conference in Lake Placid.
The society submitted the project in the category of Engaging Communities. The eight month long exhibit opened in May and closed in December 2015 and commemorated the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II. It focused on how Greece residents helped win the war in the military and on the home front.
“Countless volunteers contributed to this project and helped with the programs and exhibits. It is a tribute to them that we accept this award for all of their hard work,” said President Bill Sauers.
The project started with Maureen Whalen interviewing World War II veterans from the town of Greece and Marie Poinan doing extensive research on the historic Odenbach Shipyard that produced tankers and barges during the war and the building that was torn down last year.
Museum volunteers constructed a number of exhibits which included an interactive map where veterans could record where they had served during the war. The home front exhibit included information on how Greece residents planted victory gardens and held scrap drives to help out. The old World War I cannon in front of the old town hall on Ridge Road was donated to a scrap drive as the town board sought to help in the war effort.
The “Wall of Remembrance” was staged in the dining room of the farmhouse at 595 Long Pond Road and recorded those Greece residents who lost their lives during the war. Thousands of visitors came to the museum during the year, including many veterans who brought in their families to experience what life was like in the 1940s during the war.
Much of the information gathered was recorded in a commemorative book that was published to accompany the exhibit. The book is for sale in the museum gift shop, along with three additional books on the Odenbach shipyard. Patrons celebrated the veteran in their family with a personal message of support that recognized the sacrifice and achievements of the Greatest Generation who answered the call to serve their country.
Throughout the entire year, various programs were given around the World War II theme that helped to enhance the tributes to the legacy of the Greatest Generation. The programs at the Greece Library about the Odenbachs drew record crowds and encore programs were staged to accommodate all those who wished to come and hear about the lost landmark and its importance during the war.
The Odenbach family was also invited to a special afternoon at the museum which came to admire the work done in tribute to their grandfather and great-grandfather.
The Greece Historical Society is most appreciative to receive this prestigious award from the Museum Association of New York, a non-profit organization that provides resources, training and expertise to New York’s heritage organizations and museums, and helps strengthen their capacity to better serve their communities.
The Award of Merit program acknowledges outstanding programs and individuals who have made New York State’s museum community better and stronger and according to MANY, “These valuable organizations provide opportunities for inquiry, engagement, inspiration and education about the state’s cultural and natural heritage.”
The only other winner of this award in the Finger Lakes region was the Ontario County Historical Society.
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