Five years and approximately $1,300 later, John Fritz’s fundraising efforts culminated in an early August dedication ceremony for his donor plaque above a urinal in the building’s first-floor men’s bathroom.
“I know this is such a silly little thing, but I hope it highlights the fact that people are needed who give money and time to local museums,” he said. “When people give to museums, it really is appreciated. I get to see that.”
Indeed, Fritz has a front-seat view of museum operations through his wife, Natalie Fritz, who’s the archivist and outreach director for the Clark County Historical Society at The Heritage Center.
She said third-party fundraisers, such as those done through social media, are helpful because they don’t require organizations to use their limited resources to raise funds. Donations, meanwhile, help the historical society care for its collection and its building, constructed in 1890.
Natalie Fritz wasn’t surprised her husband persistently raised funds for his urinal plaque. He’s volunteered — or, as she jokes, “volun-told” — for the organization since she started work there 19 years ago. John Fritz has done everything from playing Hagrid during a Wizarding Weekend event to making cards for creepy dolls for a Haunted History event at the Heritage Center.
“It can be hard to figure out what people will react to or get excited about,” Natalie Fritz said. “We thought this Facebook fundraiser was hilarious.”
If reaction on social media is any indication, so does the community. A post about the urinal plaque dedication on TikTok has 25,400 views — far more than usual. The Facebook post reflected the humorous spirit of this donation, with comments such as, “Couldn’t think of a better place to honor a man named John.”
The last time a post by the organization had so much response was a couple of years ago, Natalie Fritz said, when a group of medical students performed scans on the museum’s merman — a half-monkey, half-fish taxidermized species a sailor bought in Japan and donated to the museum in 1906.
“People like weird and quirky things,” she said.
John Fritz realizes the urinal plaque squarely falls in that category, but he still hopes it serves a purpose.
“I’m happy to help out because, especially in the past year or so, Springfield has gotten a bad rap. Through Natalie and the museum, I’ve gotten to see the great things about Springfield and learn about its past,” said John Fritz, noting he and Natalie are Akron natives. “It’s important to highlight the fact there’s a really vibrant history to Springfield that needs to be seen.”
As for his urinal plaque?
“If this plaque never happened, I wouldn’t have been disappointed — but they never would have heard the end of it,” he jokingly said.
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