Museum of North Texas History

720 Indiana St.

Wichita Falls, Texas

Jenny to Jet

Wichita Falls Municipal Airport

4000 Armstrong Drive

Wichita Falls, Texas 76305

May 2023

Director's Corner

Dear Members,

I am glad to report the search for a new Executive Director has concluded. As you can see from the following story, Nadine McKown has accepted the position. As a board member and volunteer, I am happy that someone with Nadine's passion for history and preservation will be coming on board. Give her a few weeks to get her feet on the ground, then come by and say hi.

If you haven't seen our Vaquero or WFSO exhibits, come by soon as they close after May 13th. We have enjoyed the new friends who have come to the Museum to see these exhibits.

As exhibits leave, others open. Coming May 4th, the Generations of Play Toy and Doll Exhibit opens. In June, we premier our "Artist Alley," where we have an artist in residence for a month. And, surprisingly, we have a boat in the Museum!

I have enjoyed "acting" as a director for a few months. The experience has truly given me an appreciation of the "work" of a museum. And trust me, it is work!!

Becky Trammell

New Executive Director

The Board of the Museum of North Texas History presents our new Executive Director, Nadine McKown. Many of you know Nadine from her work with the Wichita County Heritage Society and the Kell House Museum. We are very happy she has agreed to join us.

Nadine McKown holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Political Science from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, along with some graduate work in English. She began working for the Wichita County Heritage Society as the Assistant to the Director in 2011, becoming Site Director of the Kell House Museum in 2019. Working with other nonprofits and museums, especially through the Regional Museum Network has been a rewarding experience, as organizing and expanding community events through the Kell House, such Haunted Tours, the Jack o’Lantern Jubilee, Santa House, and the Easter Egg Roll, allowing for amazing contact with volunteers. When she isn’t knee-deep in volunteer recruitment or hauling historic furniture, she enjoys reading, playing with cats and plants, art, and driving her teenage boys all over creation.

Membership/Donations

Thanks to all those who have renewed their MoNTH membership and welcome to the new members. Your support allows us to keep bringing the history of North Texas to our visitors.

We also wish to thank all those who have made donations to the Museum and/or have made memorial donations.

Donations

Warren & Pam Ayres, Kay & Charles Finnell DAF, Kathryn Forstek, and Texas Association of Vietnam Veterans - North Texas Chapter.

Memorial Donations

In Honor of Lita Watson: Erwin F. Soell, Nancy Gholson, Perkins-Prothro Foundation, Donna Schwartz, Patsy Todd, Leo and Becky Trammell, JoAnn Crites, Jean Johnson, Michael Smith, George Adams, Madeleine Calcote-Garcia, Joseph Ovalle, and Ryan Mitchell

In Honor of Bobby Braun: Denna Massingill

In Honor of Gary Patrick: George Adams

Trains Continue in the Museum

Thanks to the generosity of MoNTH volunteer, Ron Mauch, the Heart of Downtown Model Train Exhibit will continue at the Museum. The exhibit opens on the second Saturday of the month, through the end of the year.

The next special Saturday is May 13th.

After Hours Artwalk

Be sure to come by the Museum of North Texas History

during the May 4th After Hours Artwalk and see our new

Generations of Play exhibit.

Vaquero Continues at MoNTH

Features photographs with bilingual narrative text, Vaquero: Genesis of the Texas Cowboy reveals the muscle, sweat, and drama that went into roping a calf in thick brush or breaking a wild horse in the saddle.

Vaquero is an exhibition created by the Wittliff Collections at the Alkek Library, Texas State University, presented in partnership with Humanities Texas, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Vaquero is made possible in part by a We the People grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Continues through May 13th at the Museum of North Texas History thanks to a grant from Humanities Texas.

WFSO In The Museum

WFSO Exhibit

Celebrating its 75th Anniversary, the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra exhibit continues at MoNTH through May 13th. Along with the representative "orchestra," there are artifacts from the WFSO on display.

WFSO LINK

A Boat in the Museum?

Play Baby Has a New Home

Play Baby, the Snipe Sailboat that spent over 70 years in a downtown Wichita Falls attic, found a new home in MoNTH. Click the link below for Play Baby's story.

Play Baby's not yet ready for a public display. Watch for an opening later in 2023.

Play Baby

Call for Volunteers

Are you a race car aficionado? If so, we have a volunteer opportunity! The Museum recently received a vast collection of auto racing memorabilia. Thanks to the assistance of the donors and Trustees from the Wichita County Jail, the artifacts are in the Museum.

All of the articles need to be cataloged and photographed.

Interested, please contact Curator Leanne Ray or

Becky Trammell at the Museum.

Generations of Play Opens

Join us for the Grand Re-Opening of our toy and doll exhibit, entitled Generations of Play, on Thursday, May 4th. The exhibit presents the toys and games of the past, designed to stir your memories of playtime past. Included in the exhibit is a selection of dolls from the Collection of Mary Thomas.

Artist in Residence in Art Alley

Recognizing the breadth of artists in the area who work in a variety of media, the Museum of North Texas History begins a program of “Artist in Residence,” starting Thursday, June 1^st. Our first artist will be sculptor Tom Roberts.

Known for his bronze sculpture, metal, and woodwork, artist Tom Roberts of Byers, Texas, has won statewide recognition for his work in a more unusual medium. Believe it or not… it’s butter.

Roberts, a draftsman at BYSP Architects, finished his first sculpture in 1984. It promptly exploded in the kiln. His 2021 first prize-winning piece, a butter sculpture, in the State Fair of Texas is similarly fragile. In fact, it has an actual expiration date and must be displayed in a refrigerated room.

Roberts is inspired by people and the struggles of everyday life. According to his bio, Roberts “pursues an accurate representation of his subject matter through realistic depictions of a working-western-outdoor lifestyle. Admiring people who put on gloves and work hard to make a living, he strives to depict this beauty.”

The Museum plans to continue the "Artist in Residence" program through the end of the year, with a new artist each month.