PHMC Volunteers of the Year for 2016 Part 1

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Anthracite Heritage Museum and Iron Furnaces Associates
Maureen McGuigan and Alysia Scazafabo-Adam
Maureen and Alysia have served as co-chairs of the “Bonfire at the Scranton Iron Furnaces” event for the past six years. Their leadership, strong work ethic, creativity, community spirit, and convivial management of this innovative program have raised the site’s visibility in the community and generated income for its support. The Bonfire has become a vibrant arts and culture experience and draws hundreds each year to visit a historic site integral to the heritage of the City of Scranton. With a wide variety of musical offerings, storytelling, and hands-on activities, the festival celebrates the industrial heritage of the region and the rich immigrant history and culture of its people. Thank you, Maureen and Alysia, for your friendship, contributions, and support.

Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates
Ralph Denlinger
A retired science teacher, Ralph has been working as a volunteer guide at Brandywine since 2012. He devotes countless hours to researching and interpreting the Pennsylvania Militia in the American Revolution, including the Battle of Brandywine and has debunked common misconceptions to provide better interpretation and education for the public. He started as a guide in the Benjamin Ring House, then began assisting with school programs and giving talks based on his research. Ralph is also a member of the 1st Delaware Regiment, a reenactor unit interpreting military life during the American Revolution. A generous volunteer, he assists wherever and whenever he is needed. We are sincerely grateful for Ralph’s outstanding service and dedication.

Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society
Margaret Herron
Margaret “Peggy” Herron has been volunteering at Bushy Run for close to five years, since her retirement from teaching interior design. She has been involved in a multitude of projects at the site, including the 2013 project to make the visitor center a more welcoming experience for the public. Peggy contributed nearly 300 hours in 2016. She is at every event, serves as Chairperson of the annual Spring and Fall Teas, created the Book Club, is a member of the education committee, and was a tremendous asset for Bushy Run’s first Children’s Colonial Day Camp. Peggy is also on the gardening committee and contributes time planting flowers, raking, and spreading mulch. Bushy Run Battlefield Heritage Society is very fortunate to have Peggy as a volunteer and thanks her for her dedication and devotion.

Friends of Conrad Weiser Homestead
Harold Taylor
Hal, a Vietnam-era veteran and retired computer analyst, began volunteering as a tour guide at the Conrad Weiser Homestead in 2011 and joined the Board of the Friends in 2014. His interest in Pre-American Revolution history and the Weiser story has combined with his pleasant nature to make the tours he offers fresh and alive. We have received grateful feedback from visitors and have even had phone calls that ask for him by name when people are planning a tour in the future. Hal hopes to expand tours at the Homestead to provide all visitors with the opportunity to learn more about this fascinating site. We thank him for his steadfast support and enthusiasm for the Conrad Weiser Homestead.

Friends of Cornwall Iron Furnace
Maxine Coopey
A long-time member of the Friends of Cornwall Iron Furnace, Maxine joined the Board of Directors in 2012 and has demonstrated a consistent, unrelenting work ethic in many important behind-the-scenes tasks. She has embraced multiple assignments and created refreshing, positive changes for the benefit of the site and visitor alike. She single-handedly organized a mass of Friends' news clippings and photographs into a complete, accessible, updatable archive and then drew on the information to write a series of articles for the Friends' newsletter. Maxine contributes greatly to the Board’s operations, working at Furnace events, creating and documenting procedures, and supporting fundraising activities. We are extremely grateful for her genial smile, her outstanding reliability, and her consistent willingness to offer her time and talent in support of the Cornwall Iron Furnace.

Friends of the Daniel Boone Homestead
Deb Drager
In 2016, Deb stood out among Daniel Boone Homestead’s dedicated volunteer corps, with her site knowledge, enthusiasm, energy, and an unlimited willingness to “get her hands dirty.” She volunteers at many of the site’s most important special events, including Heritage Day and the new Christkindlmarket event. More importantly, she regularly commits to volunteer during the week, doing everything from guiding tours to assisting with basic site maintenance and administrative support activities. Deb can always be counted upon to deliver “110%” when it comes to working on the site. We thank her for her dedication and support and congratulate her on this recognition as Daniel Boone Homestead’s Volunteer of the Year.

Friends of Drake Well, Inc.
Jane Bradshaw
Always eager to help, Jane has logged over 400 hours a year since 2014, providing visitor services at the front desk. She cheerfully greets guests, orients them to the museum, and answers their questions. She willingly fills in when there are cancellations and shows up regardless of rain, sleet, or snow. Jane helps out at nearly all site events, setting up activities, taking admissions, and assisting with food sales. She also assists the museum’s Collections Department; in 2016, she was integral to advancing the museum’s efforts to catalog the newly acquired National Fuel Gas Collection, completing more than 1,100 entries in the collections database. Jane has become an invaluable asset to the site, helping to build community with her friendly and meaningful interactions with visitors, staff, and other volunteers. We thank her for her contributions of time and energy to the fulfillment of the site’s mission and for her willingness to take on any task.

Eckley Miners’ Village Associates
Gina Gibbon
Gina has been volunteering at Eckley for several years, where she has been a staple at programs and events donning historic costumes, staffing historic buildings, creating themed exhibits to accompany programs, and promoting Eckley at outside events. She has performed and sung with the Eckley Players, developed and acted in skits for the Halloween program, and supervised interpreted buildings. Gina’s participation in off-site programs has included the Fine Arts Fiesta in Wilkes-Barre and volunteer fairs at local colleges. She has used her graphic design talents to create many wonderful posters for Eckley events and helped manage Facebook marketing and advertising, contributing significantly to high attendance at the 2016 Patch Town event. We thank Gina for her dedication to Eckley Miners’ Village and willingness to share her time and talents to promote the site, the PHMC, and regional history.