Contact: Jon Zachman
Phone: 336-373-4589

Historical Museum Dedicates New Gallery on November 13

GREENSBORO, NC -- (November 8, 2010) -- The Greensboro Historical Museum, 130 Summit Ave., dedicates its new Service and Sacrifice Gallery and honors local veterans in a special program from 10:30 am to 12 noon Saturday, November 13. Guest speakers who will share their personal military reflections include:

• Congressman Howard Coble, US Coast Guard, Captain (Ret.), Korea
• Major General Lloyd Wilkerson, US Marine Corps (Ret.), WWII, Korea, Vietnam
• Dr. Helen Stinson, Colonel US Army Medical Corps (Ret.), Gulf War              
• Lt. Colonel Thurmon Deloney, US Air Force (Ret.), Korea, Vietnam
• Capt. Jack McGinn Jr., US Army Infantry, WWII

The gallery dedication features the display of names and pictures of more than 100 local veterans known to the museum, as well as live patriotic music by the Greensboro Tuba Quartet. After the program, museum personnel will be available to help veterans add their names and stories to the museum’s collection. Light refreshments will follow the program.

“People will enjoy hearing these stories from the heart,” said Jon Zachman, curator of collections for the museum. “For example, Coble started his military service as a garbage collector, giving him an enduring appreciation for sanitation workers. Wilkerson and his son, Thomas, are only the fifth father-son combination in the history of the Marine Corps to achieve the rank of General. Stinson, one of a very few women admitted to medical school in the late 60s, attained the rank of Colonel and helped set up a hospital on the Saudi Iraqi border during the Gulf War. Following World War II, McGinn was decorated with the Silver Star and the Order of the Purple Heart with two clusters among other distinctions, and came home to eventually own the well-known EL Brownhill ladies fashion store.”

The Service and Sacrifice Gallery is one of eight galleries in the new Voices of a City: Greensboro, North Carolina exhibition that opened at the museum in July. Each gallery blends historical artifacts, photos, portraits, letters and other documents with the latest technology to enhance each visitor’s experience.

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The City works with the community to improve the quality of life for residents through inclusion, diversity, and trust. As the seventh largest employer in Greensboro, the City has a professional staff of 2,800 employees who maintain the values of honesty, integrity, stewardship, and respect. The City is governed by a council-manager form of government with a mayor and eight council members. For more information on the City, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov or call 373-CITY (2489).