Ted Jones of Springcreek Twp. near Piqua is the executive director and John Bankowitz of Tipp City is the museum curator. Jones served in the Coast Guard while Bankowitz served in the Marine Corps.
It previously was located in the Masonic building in downtown Troy. A leadership transition for the nonprofit organization came in when Karen and Terry Purke, who had been with the museum effort since the museum’s beginnings, retired from their roles as executive director and curator due to health issues.
The museum was formed in 2009 to honor, preserve and perpetuate the legacy of veterans of the Miami Valley. It serves Miami, Darke, Shelby, Champaign, Clark, Greene and Montgomery counties. All museum leaders are volunteers.
Work continues of converting the County Road 25A building for museum purposes, Among work so far as been the connection of the building to central utilities. “We have taken this from a car dealership into a pretty nice facility at a cost of about $300,000,” Jones said. A lot of the construction labor has been done by volunteers.
Volunteers who have experience in electric and carpentry work continue to work on displays, additional restrooms and other upgrades. The main project now is raising money for a new roof for the building. The current roof dates to 1981. Among those assisting to this point have been the Miami County commissioners who agreed to spend $25,000 in American Rescue Plan dollars, or ARPA, on the project. Other donations come from foundations, organizations and individuals.
The collection represents the American Revolution through Afghanistan with work continuing on expanding exhibits and adding items of interest as they become of available. Among the artifacts is a piece of the World Trade Center.
Bankowitz said there is always something to do at the museum. During a recent visit, he was working on locks on display cases.
“We want to make sure we take care of the items given to us,” he said.
Among regular museum activities are a monthly breakfast and program for veterans, families and friends. There also is a writing program, oriented to veterans with PTSD to write about their experiences. The museum has a library of interviews of veterans sharing their military experiences.
More donations and more volunteers are always needed, and welcome, Bankowitz said.
Among more recent additions at the museum is a wall honoring First Responders.
“We try to be a resource, we try to be an education center,” Jones said. Many questions received at the museum involve the Veterans Administration. The volunteers work to hook up those inquiring with someone who can best answer their questions.
More information is available at www.miamivalleyveteransmuseum.org; Facebook@miamivalleyveteransmuseum; or 937-332-8852.
Contact this contributing writer at nancykburr@aol.com
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