Alabama Veterans Museum expansion receives $25,000 boost

Published 5:45 am Sunday, August 13, 2017

Sandy Thompson, director of the Alabama Veterans Museum and Archives, peered out the window of the historic structure Friday at work being done on the north side of the building.

“It’s finally starting to happen,” she said happily.

By ‘it,’ she meant an expansion project, which has been years in the making. Thompson has been the museum’s director for eight years and much of her time has been spent raising money for anticipated growth.

She and members of the museum board are adamant about the fact there simply isn’t enough room to house an ever-expanding collection of military history and memorabilia. Plans unveiled earlier this detail a new 7,900-square-foot facility to be built where an old loading dock now sits. The cost is an estimated $2 million.

The museum has money in the bank for the project and received a little more on Friday. State Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, announced he would contribute $25,000 in TVA-in-lieu-of-tax funds toward the project. Those funds are allocated to the Limestone County Legislative Delegation, of which Orr is a member, on an annual basis.

“You’ve embarked in the right direction on multiple fronts and we wanted to assist you with that,” Orr said. “It’s your tax money coming back to help the North Alabama region.”

The donation will be used to enhance STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) efforts at the museum and provide hands-on experiences to students. Thompson previously said two classrooms at the new facility may also be used to teach youngsters how to read a map or compass. The museum also received a collection of models of tanks and other military equipment that could be used for learning tools.

Orr said he was happy to help provide funds to the museum because it’s an important facility for not only Limestone County, but also the state and region. He pointed out the importance of educating children about military history and civics and the museum’s role in both.

During the last legislative session, lawmakers approved a bill that would require Alabama high-schoolers to pass a civics exam before graduating.

“You see studies and reports about what the adult population doesn’t know about the country,” he said. “I don’t want to speak negatively of educators, but we’ve got students (graduating) who are civically illiterate.”

Members of the museum board were appreciative of the donation.

“We want to thank Senator Orr for selecting the Alabama Veterans Museum to receive these funds,” said Jerry Crabtree, who chairs the museum board. “We look forward to working with (him) and the rest of the community as we complete our plans to add a vital STEM education component to our facility.”