Over the last month I've been working on a special project at my job. After I finish all my regular monthly duties I've been going through archival photos and memorabilia and finding ways to display them. The unit to the left used to be in our main building in a kitchen. You can still see the divisions for silverware etc. in the drawers. At some point this unit was brought to the hallway in our office building and it sat empty for years- on the floor without its original base. After our 150th anniversary celebration last year I thought some of the items pulled out of the closets and storage areas for display might find a permanent home in it. At first I was content to just put them in there. But our church administrator was not! He had one of our sextons put together a base for it so that it would be eye-level and asked the facilities manager hire an electrician to put a light inside. I went out and got new knobs for the drawers and glass shelves were made as well. As much as I wanted to just stuff the artifacts in the case, I must admit he was right. It really looks like a little museum now!
The pictures on the right are from a photo book someone put together in 1942. It contains around 60 photographs of servicemen with their names and where they were stationed. Sadly someone used cellophane tape to put them in the book, so most of the photos have damage from the "sticky" glue on back of the tape. Yesterday I spent several hours removing the tape and using photo corners to put the pictures back into the album. While going through the photos, I made a fun discovery. The photo on the left side of this page was taken on May 28, 1942- fourteen years before I was born.
As I've worked through this project, and hold these photos in my hand, I can't help but feel like I'm touching a piece of history every time. It's a special feeling and I'm glad to be a part of preserving the history of this church. No one should get stuck in the past, but the past should not be forgotten. It can always serve as a reminder of where we've been and give us insight on how to move forward. Hopefully this display will do just that.
Thank you Kathy, Rob, Joan, Winghong, Katy, Diana, Dorre and Joy!
Thank you Dorothy and Steve!