Today we’d like to introduce you to Marcia Taylor-Trump.
Hi Marcia, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
In May 2016 I retired from teaching with 40 years of experience, my last teaching position was in Garden City, KS. My husband and I decided to move back to Howard, KS which for both of us was home, my mother is still living in Howard. My mother was on the board of the Howard Benson Museums and they had decided to hire a part-time Curator, I applied, was hired and the work began. The museum has 8 buildings throughout downtown Howard that had only been open occasionally and needed a lot of organizing and cleaning. My husband volunteered and we worked every day on the project. On May 22, 2017 my husband fell from a high place while working in one of the museums and died from a traumatic brain injury. I continued to work on the museums and with the support of the board have successfully opened and maintained the buildings. All of our buildings contain historic artifacts from Howard and Elk County’s over 150 years. They range from household items, quilts, clothing, furniture, agricultural implements, dolls and toys, and historical documents. We have a doll museum that houses over 3500 dolls and covers three floors of an historical building. All of our buildings are climate controlled, clean, and handicap accessible, very seldom do we have a visitor who goes away disappointed.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No it has not been a smooth road, as I mentioned before my first husband died in an accident in one of the museums, so for 5 years I was on my own with the most of the work in the museums. Volunteers from the board have been very supportive and they are willing to do the heavy lifting or hire someone to do them if necessary. Working alone has been the biggest struggle, but God has been good and I am now married to a wonderful Godly man who supports my work.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I began teaching in Elk County in 1975 after graduating from Fort Hays State University with a bachelor’s degree in Education, at that time you could earn a certificate that allowed you to teach Kindergarten through 9th grade. I taught first grade in Moline, KS and Cedar Vale, Kansas for 12 years and then in Southwestern, Kansas for 29 years. I taught 4th grade, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade science, 5th and 7th grade math. My final 9 years of teaching were as an Instructional Coach for math in Garden City, Kansas. I believe that my teaching career was significant, but during those 29 years in Western Kansas my husband became a full-time missionary for an organization called Teens for Christ Connection out of Phillipsburg, Kansas and a part-time pastor. We worked with teens in Scott City, did Mission Trips during the summer and helped with a two-week camp season. Working with the teens was one of the best things we did in our married life. Seeing the transforming power of a relationship with Jesus is amazing and wonderful. My husband and I continue to work in our local church here in Howard, and continue to support and volunteer with the TFC ministry.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I am not sure I would call museum work an industry, but I do see some significant changes ahead for the museum world and they are not all positive. Elk County is very rural and really does not have any industry. There are 5 communities in Elk County and each of them has a museum, all of the museums except mine are run by volunteers on a shoestring, they live by a small stipend from the County Commissioners and donations. They are all free museums. The Howard Benson Museums are well endowed since the 1970s and have invested funds that allow them to maintain the buildings and pay a curator. I am a member of the Southeast Kansas Museum Alliance a group of nearly 50 museums in southeast Kansas, most of these museums are underfunded and run by volunteers many of them elderly. I do see an interest in museums and history but without significant attitude changes these small rural museums and the histories they house will disappear or have trouble maintaining. Grant funding from the state and organizations like Humanities Kansas help museums repair, renovate, and build new buildings. During this season of celebrating our countries 250 year history, I see people getting out and exploring and I hope they will search out and visit small local museums, I am certain they will not be disappointed.
Pricing:
- The Howard Benson Museums are free.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://howard-benson-museum.com
- Facebook: Howard Benson Museums
- Other: https://sekmuseums.org
