Touching Virtually Everything That Happens in the Museum: This Is Jennifer Van Haaften
From the corn fields of her home state of Iowa to the field of museum work, Jennifer Van Haaften has dedicated the past 30 years to creating a positive visitor experience through museum education and programming. As the Assistant Director of the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, she has a hand in
Gatekeeper of Collections: This Is Brittany Strobel
Deep in the recesses of the State Archive Preservation Facility (SAPF) on the east side of Madison, Brittany Strobel, the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Processing Archivist, has the privilege of preserving the significant events and innermost thoughts of some of our veterans. The processing archivist has the official responsibility of the
Behind the Scenes: The State Archive Preservation Facility
The State Archive Preservation Facility or SAPF, pronounced by staff as “safe,” is a purpose-built, state-of-the-art space designed to care for Wisconsin’s historical artifacts and archives. The State of Wisconsin completed construction in 2017 and in 2018 the Wisconsin Veterans Museum moved its collections storage from the basement of the
The Desert Storm Doc: Steven L. Oreck
Over thirty years ago, the U.S. Navy Fleet Hospital 15 deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Desert Storm, arriving just as the ground war began. Within days of their arrival, the modular 500 bed facility located near Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia was assembled and ready to provide
Keeper of the Stories: This Is Russ Horton
Do you ever wonder where Google gets all the answers? Behind the billions of questions we humans have, there are people combing through and preserving stacks of primary source material to deliver those answers in a digestible form. One of those people works as the Wisconsin Veterans Museum Reference and
Raul Waters: My Duty. I Never Regretted That.
Photo of Raul Waters from his April 27, 2000, interview. Raul Waters was born in 1936 in Cuba before immigrating to the United States as a child in 1945. Initially in Tampa, Florida, Waters grew up in Detroit, Michigan, then moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for his surgical residency. When the
James Megellas: Meeting a Hero; Knowing the Person
Meeting James “Maggie” Megellas will always be a highlight of my career with the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Growing up, the World War II generation was almost larger-than-life in my perception. I was fortunate to grow up on stories from my grandparents and their generation at the peak of public memory
Army Tanker Turned Museum Educator: This Is Erik Wright
If you’ve taken a tour, played museum trivia, attended a program, or walked a cemetery tour, you’ve encountered the work of Erik Wright. Since November of 2018, he has served as the education specialist at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum. Erik artfully redirected in-person museum events during the pandemic to a
Veterans Bike Ride Across Minnesota and Wisconsin Finishes at State Capitol
On August 24th, wounded veterans, first responders, and supporters of the Project Hero’s 2024 Great Lakes Challenge ended their 400-mile bicycle trek at the Wisconsin State Capitol. The group presented an American flag that flew over the Capitol in Washington D.C. to Chris Kolakowski, Wisconsin Veterans Museum Director and Tim
The Football Military Connection
People serving in the United States military often seem to find a way to get together or be involved in a favorite sports pastime. For many, that means American football. The teams can be official or unofficial; it makes little difference. Service members will find time for football, under fire