V-Mail (Summer 2020 Issue)

N E W S F R O M T H E N AT I O N A L W W I I M U S E U M

A SPECIAL NOTE

MEMBERSHIP

ANNIVERSARIES

E S S AY

E D U C AT I O N

Letter from the Board Chairman

Road to Victory Brick Program

The Museum Turns Twenty

A Nation at War

Our Work Continues

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IN THIS ISSUE

We’re All in This Together N E W S F R O M T H E N AT I O N A L W W I I M U S E U M

LETTER

Letter from the President & CEO

945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 nationalww2museum.org 504-528-1944 / 877-813-3329

M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T The National WWII Museum tells the story of the American experience in the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today—so that all generations will understand the price of freedom and be inspired by what they learn.

H O U R S O F O P E R AT I O N Visit the Museum’s website for the most up-to-date information on our operating hours.

H O L I D AY C L O S U R E S

S T E P H E N J . W AT S O N

Mardi Gras Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve,

PRESIDENT & CEO

and Christmas Day ONLINE Visit nationalww2museum.org for information on planning your visit, special exhibits, public programs, and more, or to sign up for email updates.

F A C E B O O K /wwiimuseum T W I T T E R @wwiimuseum I N S T A G R A M @wwiimuseum C O N TA C T U S The National WWII Museum V-Mail 945 Magazine Street New Orleans, LA 70130 504-528-1944 info@nationalww2museum.org Please contact the Museum at digitalcollections@nationalww2museum.org if interested in licensing this content.

V-Mail is published four times a year by The National WWII Museum as a benefit to Museum Members.

ON THE COVER An unidentified woman operates a machine at Rheem Manufacturing Company during the early 1940s in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Gift of John C. Eble, from the collection of The National WWII Museum, 2013.024.011)

The last few months have been a stressful and unusual time for all of us, and I hope that you and your family remain safe and healthy. As we continue to face the extraordinary challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re reminded daily that The National WWII Museum’s mission honors more than a series of battles and events but also the legacy of service, ingenuity, teamwork, and sacrifice exemplified by the WWII generation.

As you know, this year marks the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II—a global conflict that required unprecedented unity and determination from the American people. On the battlefields and the Home Front, an entire nation rose up, made sacrifices, and contributed however they could to help secure victory.

Today, we are similarly inspired by the response of everyday Americans: our medical professionals risking their health to care for our communities, teachers and parents working together to ensure students can continue learning remotely, essential personnel keeping

our cities operating and our critical supplies stocked, as well as countless others who have come together to offer meals for those in need, provide services to at-risk populations, sew homemade protective masks, and adjust their business production to meet urgent demands for hand-sanitizer, ventilators, and more.

As America’s National WWII Museum, we also felt a great responsibility to rise to the challenge by meeting the needs of teachers, students, and families as they adjusted to online learning while also engaging the general public with inspiring historical content relevant to the crisis we’re facing today. Leveraging our staff expertise and the technological capabilities within our new Hall of Democracy, the Museum quickly adapted to the unprecedented circumstances and dramatically expanded our digital outreach—bringing the Museum experience into homes across the globe.

Since our campus temporarily closed on March 13, the Museum’s historians, curators, educators, and distance learning experts have reached hundreds of thousands of people through daily live webinars, oral history video accounts, online teaching resources, hands-on activities for kids, podcasts, virtual book club discussions, and highlights of our best lectures and conference sessions.

But like all of you, we have also faced our own series of disappointments, setbacks, and serious challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Closing our campus during what is typically our busiest season brought about the cancellation of hundreds of school field trips, the interruption of long-planned events and 75th anniversary commemorations, the rescheduling of dozens of overseas travel programs, and the postponement of trips to the Museum for hundreds of thousands of visitors.

The financial realities of the closure have been immediate and are anticipated to be longer lasting than any of us expected when we closed our doors on March 13. Even with the most optimistic projections, the Museum will lose millions of dollars and anticipates a slow return to normal operations.

To help address these needs, our Board Chairman and WWII veteran Paul Hilliard has

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A — The Museum’s physical campus may be temporarily closed, but our work to share the stories of World War II must continue.

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2019–2020 BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOUNDER Stephen E. Ambrose (1936–2002) OFFICERS C. Paul Hilliard, Chairman John E. Koerner III, Vice Chairman John D. Georges, Vice Chair John M. Hairston, Vice Chair James A. Courter, Immediate Past Chairman Ted Weggeland, Secretary Suzanne T. Mestayer, Treasurer Stephen J. Watson, President & CEO TRUSTEES

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established a COVID-19 Response Fund, and he and his wife, Madlyn, personally made the first donation. In the months ahead, the Response Fund will be critical to ensuring that the Museum is able to continue serving students, teachers, and learners of all ages; make it possible to take care of our talented staff; keep our campus secure and functioning properly; and ultimately prepare the Museum for a strong rebound.

As one of our closest supporters, I hope you’ll consider contributing to the Museum’s Response Fund if you are able.

Just like during World War II, every bit, no matter how small, helps. Now more than ever, your contribution will be immediately put to work and have a lasting impression on our institution and all those we serve. I know that this crisis has affected each of us deeply, so I make this request with thoughtful understanding as well as with gratitude for the commitment you’ve already shown. My deepest thanks to all of you who have already responded to this special appeal.

Because of your generous support of our efforts over the years, we’ve built a strong institution that celebrates its 20th anniversary this month. Just as we overcame the insurmountable odds of opening The National D-Day Museum in 2000 and rebounded stronger than ever after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina, I have no doubt that we will emerge from the crisis as a national leader, a model for the ideals of the WWII generation: unity, determination, optimism, and innovation in the face of hardship.

Herschel L. Abbott Jr.

Dennis A. Muilenburg

Richard C. Adkerson

David Nierenberg

Dwight W. Anderson

Jane T. Olson

Clifford S. Asness

William M. Osborne III

Norman R. Augustine

Robert J. Patrick

Brandon B. Berger

Lisa Pearl, PhD, JD

Hon. J. Kenneth Blackwell

Sonia A. Pérez

Donald T. “Boysie” Bollinger

Robert L. Priddy

Michael S. Bylen

James J. Reiss Jr.

James S. Chanos

Todd Ricketts

James H. Clement III

Wyatt G. Rockefeller

Henry L. Coaxum Jr.

Edwin R. “Rod” Rodriguez Jr.

Peter N. Foss

Mark M. Rubin

William A. Goldring

Joe F. Sanderson Jr.

Charles W. “Chip” Goodyear

Philip G. Satre

Thomas A. Gruber

Robert A. “Bobby” Savoie, PhD

Hunter G. Hill

Peggy Higgins Sewell

C. Jeffrey Knittel

W. Gray Stream

H. Merritt Lane III

Henry Swieca

Dennis P. Lauscha

Sharon Estill Taylor, PhD

Alan M. Leventhal

Thomas H. Turner

Robert E. Smith Lupo

André F. Villeneuve

Markham R. McKnight

Governor Christine T. Whitman

Robert W. Merrick

Governor Pete Wilson

Michael A. Morris PRESIDENT & CEO EMERITUS Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller, PhD CHAIRMEN EMERITI Arthur Q. Davis † Robert E. Howson Major General James Livingston, USMC (Ret.) Lee H. Schlessinger David R. Voelker†

We’re all in this together!

TRUSTEES EMERITI Hon. Diana E. Bajoie

Robert T. Hayes

James L. Barksdale

John E. Kushner†

Harold J. Bouillion

John P. Laborde

Hon. Jacqueline B. Clarkson

T. G. “Teddy” Solomon†

William M. Detweiler †

Frank B. Stewart Jr.

Richard L. Duchossois

Bruce N. Whitman†

Louis M. Freeman

Stephen J. Watson

HONORARY BOARD MEMBERS MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS Colonel Jack Jacobs, USA (Ret.) Major General James Livingston, USMC (Ret.)

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LETTER

Letter from the Chairman of the Board

C . PA U L H I L L I A R D BOARD CHAIRMAN

When my tenure as Board Chairman began on July 1, 2018, I couldn’t have imagined that less than two years later our nation would be facing one of the most difficult crises we’ve seen since World War II. As a veteran of that war, I am reminded of how all Americans came together under those difficult circumstances.

Our nation is once again called to unity as the COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacts our communities. As Americans, we will once again prevail.

Like many organizations, The National WWII Museum was preparing for a busy spring when we made the necessary decision to temporarily halt operations on March 13.

When the Museum’s doors closed, our work did not stop. Especially important during these uncertain times, the Museum has continued to inspire Americans by sharing lessons of our nation’s strengths and values during World War II—its stories of heroism, its human tragedies, its voices of liberation, and the fruits and responsibilities of our victory.

The institution’s team of educators, curators, and historians have been working tirelessly to reach audiences across the country, especially students, teachers, and parents who face unprecedented adjustments to online learning from home. Their commitment to elevate America’s knowledge and understanding of the significance of World War II has been unwavering.

The Museum is a private nonprofit and therefore largely relies on admission sales, Memberships, and other donations to support its operations. Given the severity of the outbreak, the Museum faces significant financial challenges due to the extended closure.

The National WWII Museum is critically important—not only because of its responsibility to preserve and share the story of the war that changed the world but also the pivotal role it plays as one of America’s leading cultural institutions. Since opening its doors 20 years ago, the Museum has welcomed over 8 million visitors, including 783,000 last year, and generated more than $2 billion in economic impact. We are proud to serve as one of the region’s most significant employers, the

Support Museum operations by donating to our COVID-19 Response Fund

No. 1 attraction in New Orleans, and one of the great museums in the United States.

The year 2019 was transformative for our institution—staff members rallied to open The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center, break ground on the capstone Liberation Pavilion, and unveil the Hall of Democracy, which has played a key role in the Museum’s expanded outreach during these unprecedented circumstances.

Just as America’s teamwork and optimism helped lead us to victory during the war, the Museum has grown to its current stature thanks to the same extraordinary commitment of loyal, dedicated individuals like you.

I know you care about the Museum’s mission and its continued success, just as I do, and I encourage you to support its efforts through a donation to our COVID-19 Response Fund, which my wife Madlyn and I have established to assist the Museum in this time of need. Please consider joining us in making a commitment to ensure that our institution continues to serve as a beacon for inspiration and learning as we face this current crisis.

As I reflect back on the past couple of trying months, I am reminded of the poignant words that Winston Churchill delivered in his “Never Give In” commencement address, at Harrow School, his alma mater, in 1941: “Do not let us speak of darker days: let us speak rather of sterner days. These are not dark days; these are great days—the greatest days our country has ever lived; and we must all thank God that we have been allowed, each of us according to our stations, to play a part in making these days memorable in the history of our country.”

I hope you and your family are staying well, and as always, I offer my sincere gratitude to you— our friends and supporters—for your ongoing commitment to one of the most inspiring museums in the world.

Paul Hilliard

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nationalww2museum.org/covid-response-fund

MEMBERSHIP

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Victory Bricks Honor Family’s Legacy

A — WWII veteran Edwin Cole visited the Museum with his family in October 2019. Cole purchased commemorative bricks to permanently honor his brothers on the Museum’s campus.

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WWII veteran Edwin “Nubs” Cole became a Charter Member of The National WWII Museum in February 2017. Cole, who was stationed with the US Navy for two years in San Diego during World War II, had three brothers—Gene, Russ, and Melburn—who also served in the war. His brother Gene was in the Air Force, Russ in the Navy, and Melburn in the Army. All three of Cole’s brothers have since passed away.

So when Cole received a message from the Museum informing Members of our Road to Victory brick program, he thought it would be the perfect way to honor his brothers and pay permanent tribute to his family’s service.

Four red bricks were purchased, one for each brother, and installed side-by-side on the Museum’s campus soon after.

When Cole received the letter informing him that his bricks had been installed, he began planning a trip for his family to see them in person. From all around the country, children and grandchildren of the four brothers traveled to New Orleans in October

2019 to visit the Museum. The family of 12 was given a guided tour of the campus, which the younger members found very moving, even saying it provided a better understanding of what their fathers and grandfathers experienced during the war—and what they sacrificed for their country. Following the tour, staff members guided everyone to the Cole brothers’ bricks, which made a proud, lasting impression on the family.

Not only did Cole’s daughters, Marsha and Theresa, send a letter of thanks to Museum staff for helping to coordinate their visit, but they also shared their story with The Galena Gazette, Cole’s local hometown newspaper.

They spoke highly of their family members’ service and their experience at the Museum, pointing out that Cole, now 94 years old, has been able to scratch an item off the top of his bucket list.

The National WWII Museum is in the final phase of our Road to Victory Capital Campaign, but there is still a long road ahead.

In our Final Mile, a new line of Victory pavers,

in addition to our classic red Victory bricks, are available as special opportunities to secure a lasting tribute to your hero.

For more information about the Road to Victory brick and paver program, please email bricks@nationalww2museum.org or visit www.honoryourhero.org.

Learn how you can honor the WWII generation’s legacy

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nationalww2museum.org/give

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ANNIVERSARIES

The National WWII Museum at Twenty: An Unlikely Story

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As I write today we are just a few months away from the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Museum on June 6, 2000. And we are once again facing a severe challenge, this time the threat of the contagious coronavirus that is testing the strength of the spirit, friends, and vision that brought this great history institution to life.

Looking back, I am amazed by the daunting odds that we overcame on our journey to becoming America’s official museum for World War II: developing six pavilions (with work underway on a seventh); creating extraordinary exhibits, international conferences, and battlefield tours; raising nearly $400 million dollars; and greeting over 8 million visitors! To reach this point, we

survived two near-bankruptcies in the 1990s, the crisis of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the economic meltdown of 2008. We’ve succeeded beyond anyone’s imagination to achieve a TripAdvisor ranking in 2018 as the No. 3 most popular museum in the nation and No. 8 in the world! It is indeed an unlikely story—a story that started with a big idea of two good friends.

The beginnings go back to 1990, when my best friend and fellow history professor at the University of New Orleans (UNO), Stephen Ambrose, and I were enjoying our usual glass of cheap sherry in his backyard gazebo. On that afternoon, Steve proposed we raise some money for a modest D-Day museum located in the new Research Park at UNO. He envisioned

a museum that would be a permanent home for the artifacts and oral histories he had collected for his forthcoming book on the Allied invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

It was an idea that didn’t seem so daunting at the time. We were both excited by a venture that would honor forgotten veterans of World War II including entrepreneur and boatbuilder Andrew Jackson Higgins, who President Dwight Eisenhower said was the man whose thousands of landing craft built in New Orleans “had won World War II.” So, that backyard conversation was our HewlettPackard moment! We believed we could do it and naively thought the project would take us only four years. Little did we know how that idea would change our lives.

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A — A parade through the streets of New Orleans preceded the grand opening ceremony for The National D-Day Museum. (Left to right:) Tom Hanks, US Secretary of Defense William Cohen, Nick Mueller, Stephen Ambrose, US Senator Mary Landrieu, Steven Spielberg, US Senator John Breaux, and New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial.

The journey from that day to today has been arduous. In the ’90s we won some federal support, but struggled mightily to gain acceptance and adequate funds—until we decided to move the project downtown into an old storage building in the Warehouse District, close to the heart of New Orleans tourism. In 1998, when I became Chairman & CEO, our Board was depleted and discouraged after many setbacks, missed deadlines, and major fundraising shortfalls. Many questioned whether we would open the Museum by our latest deadline of June 6, 2000, or whether we would succeed at all. But our new location made a difference, and we galvanized the Board to secure the needed support from the state of Louisiana, Congress, veterans, and other inspired donors. I will never forget the many sleepless nights and the dramatic push to meet funding and construction deadlines, but we made it.

Years of effort by UNO and fresh support from local business leaders culminated in a spectacular grand opening celebration and massive veterans’ parade on June 6, 2000. The nation’s—indeed the world’s—attention was drawn to The National D-Day Museum at the corner of Andrew Higgins Drive and Magazine Street. Since that day, waves of public and media accolades have swept over the Museum again and again.

Sadly, my friend Stephen Ambrose died in October 2002, but he lived long enough

to witness the early success and rave reviews of visitors from across the nation. Steve saw concept plans for an expansion beyond the D-Day story into the larger vision for an epic museum that would one day cover three city blocks and hold exhibits in seven pavilions to portray the American WWII experience. In 2004, the US Congress rewarded our success and vision by designating us as America’s WWII museum, charged with covering every facet of the American story from the Home Front to the war front—exploring why the war was fought, how it was won, and what it means today.

Steve often spoke of his dream for the Museum to serve as a “love song to democracy.”

I shared his dream and believe it has come true in the hearts and minds of millions who have visited. The Museum will always stand as a “salute” to those Americans who died in the fight for our freedom as well as those who came home and built our country into the richest and freest nation on earth. Steve Ambrose, our Board, donors, Charter Members, our state and federal governments, and I all signed on to our mission to save this vital history for future generations. The Museum began with a strong friendship and a powerful vision of the strength of the American Spirit that won World War II, the same spirit that rallied our national Board and motivated generous Museum friends around the country to help us move forward and overcome every adversity these past twenty years.

It was this same energizing spirit and the personal stories of those who fought and served that inspired us to bring one pavilion after another off the drawing board. These included Solomon Victory Theater featuring the Tom Hanks-narrated 4D experience Beyond All Boundaries (opened in 2009); the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center (2013); the Campaigns of Courage pavilion (2014-15); a major exhibit on the Home Front in Louisiana Memorial Pavilion (2017); and during last year, the Hall of Democracy pavilion and The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center. Still to come is the Liberation Pavilion, focusing on the war’s legacy of freedom for

Learn more about the Museum’s ongoing expansion

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America and the world.

Today, with on-site visitation approaching 800,000 annually, the Museum is also a growing force off-site with expansion of distance learning, research, conferences, and overseas travel programs. I take special pride in helping to build an innovative and bold culture that reflects the best of the American Spirit.

I look back with amazement to the birth of the idea for the Museum in 1990, to my role as Chairman from 1998 through opening on June 6, 2000, and to my 17 years as Founding President & CEO. I am deeply grateful to the many wonderful staff, Trustees, government leaders, and veterans who helped bring this great Museum and its mission to life.

Today, three years after turning the Museum’s executive leadership over to President & CEO Stephen Watson, I am writing the Museum’s history and remain immersed in our enduring vision. This reaches back to the original dream I shared with Steve Ambrose, to help develop our conferences, publications (including my own D-Day book published in 2019), and research initiatives—notably the important work of our new Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, housed in the Hall of Democracy.

This intellectual foundation will assure the historical integrity of our exhibits as well as our international standing as the most trusted and accessible source of knowledge on the American experience in this global struggle.

The Institute, together with the Museum’s great exhibits, programs, staff, and supporters, will pass on the memory of our nation’s successful fight to defeat tyranny and to preserve our freedom.

Such efforts illuminate the valor of those who served and will inspire future supporters to sustain The National WWII Museum through good times and bad. Were Steve Ambrose still alive, he would be bursting with pride and gratitude. I certainly am. It is an unlikely story, indeed. I am glad you are part of it.

Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller, PhD Museum President & CEO Emeritus

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A Nation at War

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The Bible tells us that there’s “nothing new under the sun,” and having spent a lifetime as a historian, I have to recognize the wisdom.

It is almost impossible to analyze an event in the present without referring back to antecedents, preconditions, and parallels of the past, and sometimes it seems as if everything that’s currently happening has happened before.

Exhibit A for that argument is the current COVID-19 crisis. As the pandemic has unfolded and spread to the United States, WWII parallels have suddenly become all the rage. And no wonder! Think about it: we’re attacked, seemingly out of nowhere; we are angry and scared; we’re taking casualties; and we’re spending our days reading one depressing headline after the other. “It’s

going to get worse before it gets better,” our leaders are telling us.

It really DOES sound like Pearl Harbor.

And that, of course, is the one silver lining that should help to sustain us and maintain our spirits. We overcame all those problems: the uncertainty, the grief, the panic. We won! Certainly, the effort required was total. Sixteen million men and women

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had to put their lives on hold, entering the service and risking their necks every day for their fellow Americans. The rest of the country had to roll up its sleeves and get to work. When confronted with the challenge of defending freedom, Americans did what they had to do—rationing gas, food, and clothing, and working overtime in factories and sending loved ones into battle. Above all, the country kicked the wheels of industry into gear, transforming our nation into a mighty “arsenal of democracy.” Companies like Brown & Root, Kaiser, and Frigidaire retooled their assembly lines and retrained their workers, moving from civilian production to military, churning out streams of tanks and aircraft, ships and guns, and eventually building the mightiest military force in history. In other words, America came together, not apart, and the results were nothing short of miraculous.

Today, we can see signs that the country might be gearing up for more of the same.

The federal government has been in touch

with auto-making giants, Ford and General Motors, about retooling their assembly lines to produce critical ventilators; distilleries are donating alcohol to increase the production of hand-sanitizer; clothing manufacturers like Hanes and Brooks Brothers are turning to the production of masks, gowns, and other forms of protective gear urgently needed by our medical professionals.

We are also seeing a new set of heroes come to the forefront. Doctors, nurses, and technicians are displaying unimaginable bravery in this fight. They’re on the front lines of this war. But let’s not forget those workers at our local grocery stores, or the delivery people bringing food and goods to our homes, or those intrepid construction workers still out there on their cranes and ladders. They all deserve medals for valor.

Certainly, this isn’t a replay of World War II. There was no one explosive Pearl Harbor moment, when peace suddenly turned to war. The enemy is a strange one: microscopic, invisible, tasteless—and its stealthy tactics

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Higgins Industries patroltorpedo boat line at City Park Plant in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Women operate a veneer dryer at the Higgins Michoud Plant in New Orleans, Louisiana.

have everyone on edge. For the most part, our role in the fight is to obey stay-at-home orders to help “flatten the curve,” a phrase none of us had even heard a few months back. And there won’t be a climactic moment of victory when we pump our fists in the air and exult in our win.

And yet, as I ponder the situation we’re in today, I keep coming back to the words of President Franklin Roosevelt. Consider his first inaugural address—the very first speech he gave as the nation’s president. We weren’t at war yet, but we sure were in a mess: the Great Depression. Unemployment was somewhere around 25% and bread lines and soup kitchens were the only enterprises in the country doing a brisk business. Things seemed hopeless.

That’s when Roosevelt stepped to the microphone. The real thing to be afraid of, he told his listeners, was not the Depression. The real danger was losing heart. You know the quote: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”

He was right then, and he’s right today.

The worst thing that could happen in our present situation is that we give ourselves over to fear and panic and forget our common purpose as Americans, which is that we are stronger together during times of crisis.

As a historian, I can’t help but note the amazing coincidence that all this is happening in 2020—the same year we’re commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. We celebrated the anniversary of V-E Day on May 8, and we look forward to paying tribute to V-J Day later this year. If our victory in World War II teaches us anything, it’s that we should never lose heart.

Nothing can defeat the American people when they’re united and determined. We prevailed in World War II. And we’re going to prevail this time, too.

Article by the Executive Director of the Museum’s Institute for the Study of War and Democracy, Rob Citino, PhD.

As we face the current crisis, we can seek inspiration and solace from the past

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nationalww2museum.org/the-war

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E D U C AT I O N & A C C E S S

Our Work Continues: Digital Programming Ramps Up as the World Learns from Home

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The temporary closure of museums and cultural institutions across the country is one of the many challenges of the COVID-19 outbreak. In addition to being stewards of the past, museums are critical players in our daily lives, providing a space for people to learn, converse, and engage. These activities are incredibly personal, human experiences, which suddenly shifted exclusively online.

Content and digital media experts at The National WWII Museum didn’t skip a beat once the physical campus shut down, offering fresh content and new ways to engage with the Museum online, maintaining important relationships with history enthusiasts, teachers, students, and families near and far. Throughout this closure, online visitors became accustomed to daily live webinars, website content that challenged readers to see the ways in which World War II has remained relevant in times of modern crisis, video series featuring oral histories and unique artifacts from the Museum’s collection, and a new podcast centered around the final months of the end of the war.

The Museum has overcome serious challenges before, most notably in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005; when faced with the reality of months, or potentially even years, of closed doors, the Museum’s first Director of Education, Kenneth Hoffman, began using then-fledgling videoconferencing technology originally designed for corporate offices to instead reach students who might otherwise never get to experience the Museum and the lessons of World War II. The Museum has come a long way since then, with upgraded technology and studio spaces in the new Hall of Democracy, which was completed this past October; a dedicated team of distance learning experts and curriculum specialists in the WWII Media and Education Center; and a team of scholars who have expanded higher education outreach in the Institute for the Study of War and Democracy. Today, distance learning programs produced by the Museum reach more than 125,000 K-12 and highereducation students, teachers, and lifelong learners per year.

Our audience of teachers and parents, suddenly thrust into teaching remotely and at home, were first in our minds as we began to assess the impact of the closure. The WWII Media and Education Center expanded its existing offerings by creating daily resources, activities, and webinars for learning and fun at every grade level. With an email hotline and specific social media channels for educators, the Museum listened and responded to the needs of those now teaching online and at home. Despite schools being closed, our webinars and resources have been utilized by hundreds of thousands of students across the country. In addition to bringing The National WWII Museum and its collections to students, we mobilized partnerships with the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum and the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center, allowing students to engage with multiple like-minded institutions and see perspectives from around the country. This closure has reinforced that the physical distance between us, our partners, and our audiences are not barriers to learning.

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A — With the recent school closures due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Museum is committed to serving students and teachers who are now conducting school online. We’ve gathered Museum resources that can support educators and their curriculum goals while they are away from their classrooms.

“My US History Class got to World War II right as the shutdown occurred. Many of my students lost access to textbooks; however, we have not missed a beat because we are using the Museum’s curriculum to help facilitate digital learning.”

Michael Arvites, alumnus from the Museum’s Summer Teacher Institute

Next, our team began to focus on engaging lifelong learners, using the closure as an opportunity to reach new audiences on a variety of platforms and reignite engagement with our existing constituents. Broadcasting daily live Facebook events with members of the Curatorial and Collections department, historians from the Institute, and educators from the Media and Education Center allowed the Museum to reach thousands per day, many of whom had not previously been to the Museum or participated in a program before. In an effort designed to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the war,

we called upon our network of Presidential Counselors, filmmakers, and veterans to go live with us, bringing these stories of liberation to life through an unprecedented digital look into oral histories and other personal recollections, artifacts, and more. All programs were recorded and made available on-demand on the Museum’s video platforms like YouTube for those who were not able to join us live.

As part of this effort to honor the 75th anniversary during our closure, the Museum has also published articles, interviews with subject-matter experts, artifact features, curriculum materials, video series, and other related website content to honor this critical time in our nation’s history. Featured prominently through the Museum’s social media channels, this content brings readers and viewers an in-depth look at topics like V-E Day and V-J Day, the creation of the United Nations, the grueling final days of the war in the Pacific, and the aftermath of victory and the true cost of war.

Launched in May, the Museum’s newest

Explore online teaching resources from the Museum

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podcast series, “To the Best of My Ability,” chronicles the aftermath of President Franklin Roosevelt’s death and the complex and fascinating legacy of the newly sworn-in President Harry S. Truman, the unexpected man from Missouri who faced some of history’s greatest challenges in a role he never expected to play. Truman’s presidency permanently changed the way our nation views the role of the Vice President.

As our nation faces one of its greatest challenges, a challenge that has reminded us that we are truly all in this together, we want to thank you for making our educational initiatives possible. Your generous support and ongoing commitment has helped make us the leading resource on the war, reminding us all that the American Spirit born in World War II continues to endure today.

nationalww2museum.org/online-teaching-resources

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The National WWII Museum Store Call 877-813-3329 x 244, visit in store or online at shopwwii.org, or email museumstore@nationalww2museum.org.

NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM LOGO PLANE T-SHIRT

NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM LOGO POLO WASH CAP

WOMEN OF WORLD WAR II JOURNAL

THE GHOST ARMY OF WORLD WAR II HARDCOVER

Item # 21410 (Sizes: S–3XL)

Item # 21796 (Available in white or dark grey)

Item # 23241

Item # 19207 (Signed Copy)

$20.00

$18.00

$15.00

$40.00

THE KISS ENAMEL PIN

ROSIE BASEBALL TEE BLACK SLEEVES

ROSIE BASEBALL TEE RED SLEEVES

COBI LCVP HIGGINS BOAT BLOCK PUZZLE

Item # 23126

Item # 23807 (Sizes: Women’s XS–2XL)

Item # 22083 (Sizes: Women’s XS–2XL)

Item # 23021

$10.00

$35.00

$35.00

$54.99

All proceeds from purchases made through the Museum Store fund the continuing educational mission of The National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

To find out about the latest items and releases, follow The National WWII Museum Store on Instagram @shopwwii.

Please make check or money order payable to The National WWII Museum and mail to: 945 Magazine Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 Qty.

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MasterCard

Y206983

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$ 0.00 —49.99

$ 5.00

$ 50.00 —99.99

$ 10.00

$ 100.00 +

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For Members only Overseas Order:

Add $ 30.00 to amt.

Priority Shipping:

Add $ 5.00 to amt.

Questions? Call 877-813-3329 x 244