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Artemis G. Kirk, University
Librarian,
with speaker Robert C. Wilburn.
Dr. Robert C.Wilburn, President of the Gettysburg
National Battlefield Museum Foundation, opened his mid-September
lecture to friends of the Library with a quote from historian
and author David McCullough, who said that "our story. .
. is the most important resource we have." The title of Dr.Wilburn's
lecture was "Historic Preservation: Telling Our Story,"
and as illustration Dr. Wilburn shared not only plans for Gettysburg,
where he has been since 2000, but also his own story of working
on historic preservation both personally and professionally over
the last 30 years. This event marked the Fourth Annual CaseyoMcIlvane
Lecture, a series co-founded by Roseanne McIlvane Casey, S'79
and her niece, Nancy McIlvane Del Genio, F'82.
Dr.Wilburn's first experience in historic preservation
was as a protestor, when he and his wife and young son staged
a "live-in" to prevent the demolition of John Sutton
Hall at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where Dr.Wilburn was
President from 1975-1979. The building was saved, and today the
school's website describes it as the "heart of the university."
Dr.Wilburn also gave examples of his work at the Andy Warhol Museum
in Pittsburgh and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to illustrate
the importance of historic preservation.
The majority of Dr.Wilburn's talk focused on plans
for the renovation of Gettysburg National Military Park. Currently,
nearly 2 million people visit the Gettysburg museum and visitor
center each year, despite the fact that the building is only designed
to handle 400,000 annually. The Foundation is working on plans
for a new museum and visitor center, which will allow for new
programs and greater exhibit space to display the park's collection
of more than 700,000 archives and artifacts. Plans are also underway
to restore portions of the battlefield and the Cyclorama painting,
a giant circular oil painting depicting General George Pickett's
Confederate infantry in battle.
Questions after the talk focused mainly on the plans
for Gettysburg and the historical importance of the park. As Dr.Wilburn
noted, "it's important, today more than ever before, that
we do all we can to find ways to help our citizens connect with
their past, and draw lessons for the future." More about
Gettysburg can be found online at www.gettysburgfoundation.org.
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