To this observer, it seems that when most people visit the Center, they are usually conducting business of some sort or simply coming to visit with one of the staff members. Very few take the time to take a look at some of the things around them. They might be surprised by what they see.
Most likely they will see a picture, artifact or some memorabilia that immediately bring a smile to their faces and take their minds back to a bygone era of their former classmates, teachers, friends and others of which many of them have come and gone, but the memory of them lives on and are on display in photos at the Museum.
I remember one day, a former student, and an alumni stopped by the Center and asked me would I show her around. She told me she graduated in 1958, but had never seen what was in the Center. I began by showing her a picture of her graduating class. Her face lit up with joy. She looked at the picture and located herself in it, and then pointed it out to me. "I was the shorted person in my class" she said.. I then showed her a photo in which she was one of the dancers in a performance of the "Nutcracker Suite." She couldn't believe we had this picture. I don't think she had ever seen it. I could tell she was more than delighted. She told me she was in the 7th grade when the picture was taken. She asked if she could take a picture of it. Of course I told her NO WAY!!! (Just kidding). She took her picture and many others of her classmates and friends..
I went on to show her pictures of the original school back in 1906 and many of the the teachers and students through-out the years. Next I led her to the Community section where social and economics developers of the community are on display; there are many photos of these people.
Moving on I showed her the layout of the building as it stands today, and this is where she became the guide and historian and I became the visitor and student. She talked about the layout of the school when she was a student there. This was an eye opener to me. I learned quite a bit from her as she told me things about the school during her days..
I could tell she was really fascinated and impressed by all she had seen. She told me more than a few times about not knowing there were so many things about her old school that are contained here at the Center. I can still see the joy on her face as we walked through the Museum. I confess, I felt a sense of joy because she was pleased at what she had seen. She promised me she would be back.
The moral of this account should be; if you have never taken a tour of the SWH Museum and Cultural Center you should come on down and take a look around the place, you might just find a few pleasant surprises; especially if you are an alumni or former student.
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