Another Day in History
Will Rogers Memorial Museum Executive Director Tad Jones (center) is joined by Rogers lawmakers Marty Quinn and Mark Lepak to witness installation of a new heating, air and ventilation system for the Museum. It is financed with nearly $1 million from the Oklahoma Long Range Capital Planning Commission, established several years ago.
New Equipment Protects Museum Collection
It was an historic day Nov. 4, 1938 when the Will Rogers Memorial Museum opened. Will Rogers’ widow and their children were on hand for the ceremony. That day and in the following years the family donated many of Will’s personal belongings, art and artifacts. It is also the repository for his writings and manuscripts.
Another day in in history came on Nov. 4, 1982 when the east wing of the Museum officially opened to include a theatre, where a Will’s movies shows every day.
The Museum is benefactor of a collection of movie posters advertising Will’s movies, amassed by Gordon Kuntz of Minnesota, a former Tulsan, and donated to be shared with the world.
Friday, August 4, 2017 is another important day in the history of the Museum and Claremore. A chiller, the capstone of the new heating, air and ventilation system for Will Rogers Memorial Museum, was delivered and final installation is underway.
“This is such an important project for the future of the Museum and the collection for the next 100 years,” said Tad Jones, Museum executive director. “We are so grateful to Sen. Marty Quinn, Rep. Mark Lepak and the entire Oklahoma legislature for supporting this vital upgrade to this beautiful facility.”
The Claremore lawmakers joined Jones and other members of the staff Friday morning as the chiller was moved into place.
Planning, programming, engineering and preparation for installation of the final piece of equipment (manufactured overseas) has been a long and arduous process.
The Museum received nearly $1 million from the Oklahoma Long Range Capital Planning Commission, with great support from the Oklahoma Legislature, and the project has taken nearly three years to plan and also includes a state of the art climate control system.
The new system will provide for safe storage and display of Will Rogers’ treasures and new exhibits planned in the future.
