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SunDAy, SEptEMbER 25, 2016
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD
aksarben traditions | floor committee
Aksarben Floor Committee
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1935
1936
A century of souvenirs Aksarben lapel pins paid tribute to current events and were a visible sign of organizational pride By Melinda Keenan World-Herald Correspondent
Tucked away in the basement of the Durham Museum is a big piece of Aksarben history that is as small as a penny. Make that nearly 100 pennies. The museum has a collection of Aksarben lapel pins — delicate pieces of art that were issued annually to members to wear for pride and promotion. Each pin is a colorful symbol illustrating the diverse missions of the civic organization. Some focus on agriculture and livestock, others on entertainment and sports, and still others on patriotism. The pins are just part of the vast collection of Aksarben memorabilia the Durham stores, loans and sometimes displays, said collection manager Becky Putzer. When the pins were donated to the museum, they arrived fastened in rows on a piece of red velvet and framed in black. Since late May, the museum has been
removing the pins, cataloging each one and preserving them in small plastic bags inside cardboard boxes. There are no plans to display the collection right now, Putzer said. But next spring, the museum will put together an Aksarben racing exhibit. “Some of these could make their way out there,” she said of the pins. The Douglas County Historical Society also has an Aksarben pin collection, with examples from 1907 to 1995. Research specialist Max Sparber said the pins are not currently on display, but have been shown in previous Aksarben exhibits. A check of eBay shows some attempts by pin owners to sell individual pins. About 75 pins are online, at asking prices from $5.50 to $61.50. The oldest pin in the Durham collection dates to 1896, a year after Aksarben was established. The organization formed in early 1895 in response to an unsuccessful 1894 state fair that lacked backing by Omaha businesses. The state fair board chided the community for not providing suitable evening entertainment or lodging for families that traveled to Omaha for the fair. That first pin — the largest in the collection — is about 2 inches long and painted gold.
The Durham’s pin collection is complete except for the years 1901 and 1907. The final pin in the collection was issued in 1996, a year after the Aksarben race track closed. With the exception of the first pin, all the others feature thumbnail-size drawings — mostly of knights, agricultural produce, Aksarben buildings and horses and livestock. The 1941 pin features a 4-H clover; the 1950 pin, a cowboy hat. In 1936, Aksarben paid homage to modern transportation on its pin, with a split rendering of a locomotive and a Conestoga wagon. The 1940 pin features a female figure skater, a nod to Sonja Henie — the threetime Olympic champion and professional ice skater who brought her Hollywood Ice Revue to Omaha’s new ice rink at the Aksarben Coliseum that year. In 1942, Aksarben showed its patriotism during World War II with a Statue of Liberty pin. And in 1961, when President John F. Kennedy pledged to send an American safely to the moon, Aksarben again demonstrated its patriotic pride with a pin featuring a rocket circling the globe. The 1996 pin simply displays the organization’s crest with the words “Knights of Ak-Sar-Ben.”
Floor Committee co-chairmen: John Marshall and Marc Wisdom. Committee members: Greer Almquist, David Anderson Jr., Dr. Ryan Arnold, Davin Bickford, Michael Boyer, Jonathan Bradford, Matthew Breunsbach, Brian Buescher, Mark “Butch” Burgers, Mark Carlson, James Casler, Adam Christensen, Craig Christenson, Kurt Cisar, Tim L. Clark, Jim Codr, Kevin Conway, Dr. Brad Copple, Bill Cutler IV, Andrew Dana, Matthew Darling, Matthew Deaver, Brody Deren, Taylor Dieckman, Dr. Matthew Dilisio, Steven Dugger, Jonathan Enenbach, Matthew Enenbach, Patrick Fay, Travis Flodine, Matthew Forest, Stephen George, Justin Gibson, Jesse Gloystein, Ryan Grace, Jim Granger, Dr. Kevin Grosshans, Andrew Guill, Doug Hegarty, Dru Heidemann, Harry Hoch III, Michael Hoch, Jeff Hoffmann, Robert Hollingsworth, Patrick Huse, Shane Ideus, J. R. Johnson, Michael Jung, Marc Kaschke, Mark Keating, Kevin Kerrigan, Steve Kerschke, Scott Kroeger, Tim Langan, Lance Larsen, Joshua Livingston, David Lutz, Mike Mackintosh, Randy McAlpine III, Michael McDevitt, Dr. Matthew McMahon, Sean Moylan, Gary Muhs Jr., Jeff Nogg, Mark Ostronic, Eric Oxley, Matthew Pape, Dan Parker, Anthony Pasternak, Michael Peterson, Andy Plummer, Joe Pogge, Zach Potter, Ben Reynolds, D.J. Rezac, Chad Richter, Brian Ritter, Matt Ruma, Levi Scheppers, Todd Schuiteman, Justin Shanahan, Dillon Shea, Adam Simpson, David Stearnes, Rory Sudbeck, Chase Sutton, David Thrasher, Patrick Turner, Tony Urban, Dominic Vaccaro, Ryan Wade, Adam Watson, Michael Wetta, Nick Wilwerding, Wesley Woodward, Tom Worthington, Brian Zaversnik, Jess Zeiss, Jeff Ziemba, Ryan Zink.
AkSARbEn cOROnAtiOn This special section was produced by The World-Herald in cooperation with the Aksarben Women’s Ball Committee. Special sections editor Chris Christen 402-444-1094, chris.christen@owh.com Project editor Howard K. Marcus 402-444-1397, howard.marcus@owh.com Section designer Kiley Cruse Writers Pam Thomas, Melinda Keenan, Judy Horan, Dan McCann Copy editor Pam Thomas For special section advertising information, contact dan.matuella@owh.com.
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1996 DurhAm museum
On the cover The Aksarben Coronation Ball Crest, rendered for 2016 by World-Herald graphic artist Dave Croy, reflects Nebraska’s agricultural ties: red for beef, yellow for golden ears of corn and green for wheat. Aksarben royal court photos provided by Dwyer Photography.