Name/Title
A Letter regarding State Historical Society Meeting, 1960Scope and Content
THE STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF WISCONSIN
816 STATE STREET
MADISON 6, WISCONSIN
October 19, 1960
Field Service Office
Miss Edith M. Scott, President
Waupun Historical Society
500 S. Madison Street
Waupun, Wisconsin
Dear Miss Scott:
I enjoyed my meeting the members of your society last night very much and I do feel that with an advance planned program for the year and regularly scheduled monthly meeting that your
society will indeed be an active one. I do think your society will enjoy and get some ideas and ispiration from our movie. "The Presence of Our Past". I have enclosed descriptive literature on the film. Just let me know if and when you would like to show it, and I will have it sent to you.
Also, as I promised, here is a racapitulation of program ideas:
Sept.- Guest speaker night. This program would start off each season.
The speaker would be a prominent citizen or public official of
Waupun; someone prominent in the county or state; a speaker
from a neighboring historical society or from the state society.
Oct.- Annual election of officers. Because of the normal length of
such business, the entertainment can be a half hour historical
film.
Nov.-Participation Night. Members would bring historical records,
pictures, heirlooms and other artifacts to display and discuss.
Dec.- Heritage Month. Featuring each year a different ethnic back
ground, demonstration of how the chosen nationality group observes its Christmas customs, and serving of a tradition food
or delicacy by members of the chosen nationality group.
Jan-.Membership Reports. Devoted to short papers on family histories which had been researched on assignment during the past year.
Feb - Membership Reports. Devoted to short papers on community history which had been researched on assignment during the past year.
Mar -.Junior Historian Night. Presentation of Waupun Historical Society Junior Historian Awards and program put on by the juniors.
Apr - Century Family and Century Farmer Night. As many as will attend should be introduced, the names of those who do not attend should be read. After the first Century program those who become "century" during the year are honored and given the opportunity to relate their family history.
May - Annual Picnic. Good opportunity to invite city officials and
prominent citizens so that they can get to know members of your society better.
June. Annual Tour. Bus trip to one of the historic sites in the region or not too far away for an enjoyable day's outing. Arrange to be received at your destination and be given a guided tour of the site visited.
July. Annual Pot-Luck Dinner. Just for fun and the opportunity to congratulate yourselves on a successful season.
To make such a program work a program chairman and program committee should be appointed. Dates should be set as far in advance as possible, and mimeographed or printed schedules for the year should be distributed to all members at or just before the first meeting in September.
Special committees should be set up to work on the Awards, Century groups, tour, and outdoor meetings at the first opportunity. At the next meeting volunteers should be given the opportunity to decide whether they can be ready to give their reports this season or next season.
It would also be well to have a publicity chairman who would get advance notices on your activities in the local newspapers and to write up reports on the meetings in time for the newspapers to run them after the meetings.
Incidentally, last night I could not answer the question as to when and where the Junior Historian Regional Convention is to be held this year. Your regional convention will be held at Menasha on April 22, so having your own Junior Historian Award night in March should work out quite well.
I hope some of the above suggestions will prove to be useful to you and your society. The programs outlined are, of course, just suggestive and no doubt you will find it necessary to make changes and adjustments to suit the needs, interests, and other plans of the membership.
I have written a letter to the publicity chairman of the Department of Agriculture Century Family section asking them to send you a list of Century Farms and Century Families in the Waupun area if they have one. If there is any other way in which we can be of service to you or any of
your committees, please do not hesitate to let us know.
Sincerely yours,
William J. Schereck,
Supervisor
Office of Local History.Acquisition
Accession
2015.0500Source or Donor
Waupun Heritage MuseumAcquisition Method
Donation
