Good morning!

Great things are happening with Stories in Mind, which brings the Frazier Museum into long-term care communities. Our team is visiting facilities nearly every day, and our audiences keep growing and growing. The residents have given a lot of positive feedback, and some have even suggested topics they want to know more about! Our facilitators, Susan and Martin, have taken some neat artifacts from the Frazier’s collection to the residents to provide a true hands-on experience. In fact, one of the residents brought their own show-and-tell artifact to one of the engagements: a cane her father had carved by hand from a piece of driftwood from the 1937 flood.

The residents have enjoyed a wide variety of subjects. We have created a menu that includes topics about Kentucky’s Natural Wonders, such as the Ohio River, species of trees, and the mountains; Kentucky Music and Musicians; and Kentucky Explorers and Inventors. We even had a program about Veterans Day in which we shared stories of some of Kentucky’s most notable veterans. And, let me tell you, the residents had some incredible stories to share about their personal experiences in the military.

The reception the residents have given us has far exceeded our expectations. Some of them have invited family members to the engagements—and those folks have expressed their excitement at how our interactions have benefited their loved ones. Our goal is to build relationships with the residents to provide a creative outlet by sharing stories and bringing the Frazier Museum straight to their residence. We are proud of this program and excited to continue growing relationships. Since the pandemic, many residents have suffered from loneliness. But Stories in Mind has given us the opportunity to positively impact the mental well-being of these residents.

If you appreciate the work we are doing, please consider supporting this program and the Frazier tomorrow on Giving Tuesday—or anytime.

For more information about Stories in Mind, please contact the Stories in Mind administrator, Kevin Bradley, at kbradley@fraziermuseum.org or (502) 412-2280.

This Week in the Museum

Take Part Tomorrow in the Tenth Annual Giving Tuesday!

Tuesday, November 29, will mark the tenth annual Giving Tuesday, a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity. It is a day when we ask you to help us continue to make our community and Kentucky a better place.

The Frazier History Museum is a BBB-accredited Non-Profit Organization.

Click here to donate on Giving Tuesday or at any time!

Continue to find our Giving Tuesday messages on our social media platforms. Please share our link to give, and tell the world why you value the Frazier.

Giving Tuesday logo. Credit: Giving Tuesday.

The Frazier is where the world meets Kentucky—and because of you, we mean more to more people every day!

We appreciate every gift we are given. Your gifts allow us to educate our young people, produce insightful discussions on topics that are important to our community, and share the history of Kentucky with residents and visitors from around the world. There is no greater gift than being able to uplift our neighbors and our community.

Do you want to feel and see your donation at work? Become a member! As little as a $20 membership will allow you access to our Member Exclusive Book Clubs and other member-exclusive events throughout the year!* Did I mention that for the $20 Individual membership you would also get year-round access to the museum, a 10% discount in the museum store**, and discounted parking!?

*Not all member-exclusive invitations apply to the Individual and Family membership levels.

**Exclusions apply.

Come experience more and be a part of where the world meets Kentucky!

Kentucky Rivalries: Coaches Joe B. Hall and Denny Crum

This Wednesday would have been Joe B. Hall’s ninety-fourth birthday. He passed away in January of this year.

Hall was a Kentuckian through and through, growing up in Cynthiana.

He would lead the Kentucky Wildcats for thirteen seasons to three Final Fours and win the 1978 NCAA men’s basketball championship. But Hall often said the pressure of following someone like Adolph Rupp can “eat you up like acid.”

After his retirement, his teaming up with former rival Denny Crum for a radio show became a fan favorite—whether you bled blue or red.

The Joe B. and Denny Show was syndicated on radio stations statewide from 2004 until 2014. It turned into a lifelong friendship that transcended basketball to share other loves like hunting and fishing.

We tell their story in our new exhibition, Kentucky Rivalries, which also chronicles the rivalry series between UK and U of L and why it took so long to resume after twenty-four years.

What brought it back was the “Dream Game” of 1983, the Elite Eight thriller between Louisville and Kentucky in Knoxville, Hall vs. Crum, with Louisville winning it in overtime.

It was game on after that for the series to resume.

But there’s one thing I did want to share: guess who was among the first folks in U of L’s locker room to congratulate the Cards on their win?

Joe B.

Roger Burkman, who was a graduate assistant for the Cards at the time, told me the story when I recently talked with him and Coach Crum.

Both men had a healthy respect for each other even as rivals. Of course, it only grew from there—and, lucky us, this state got a front row seat to witness it.

We will be sharing stories like this on December 8 for our program honoring Denny Crum here at the Frazier History Museum. There are only a few seats left.

Get your ticket now—before we’re sold out!

Kentucky Rivalries: Bellarmine University Mock Trial Team’s Road to Nationals

Competitive spirit runs deep in the Bluegrass, and Frazier History Museum’s Kentucky Rivalries exhibition chronicles the friendly feuds that keep our state striving for greatness. However, there’s one competitive team that tends to fly under the radar despite cutthroat tournaments and a national champion history: the Bellarmine University Mock Trial team, on which I’m an attorney.

At the beginning of the academic year, the American Mock Trial Association releases a book with eyewitness affidavits, expert reports, case law, exhibits, and other documents, which build a nuanced, hypothetical lawsuit. Charges range from criminal offenses, such as arson and homicide, to civil offenses, like negligence. This year’s case is a negligence lawsuit where a plane crash killed both the pilot and passenger. Universities across the country dissect the released materials to build cases for both the prosecution/plaintiff and the defense. At tournaments, teams engage in a simulated court environment, taking on the role of either an attorney or a witness, and argue their cases in front of a judge, typically a practicing attorney.

In 1999, BU Mock Trial became the first Bellarmine team to bring home a National Champion title. Since then, Bellarmine has been a bit quiet in the championship circuit, but the current team plans to change that. The 2021–22 BUMT team was composed of only two returning members, and because of that, there was little hope for a successful season. However, we turned heads at our first tournament when Addie Rogers and total newcomer Norah Wulkopf brought home outstanding attorney and witness awards, respectively, at the Indiana University Purdue University Invitational (IUPUI). We continued to tweak material, add character to our witnesses, and learn from the stronger teams we hit at tournaments until the beginning of the championship circuit: Regionals.

Pairings at Regionals are not power protected—meaning competition in each round should be equally matched. In the final round, we were matched against Princeton University, and we knew that, in order to have any shot at advancing to the Opening Round Championship Series (ORCS), we would have to win both of the judges’ ballots in this round. As bids to ORCS were announced, we waited anxiously at the closing ceremony. After an eternity of drum rolls, they announced the final team to advance: Bellarmine University. We went on to compete at ORCS where Norah Wulkopf once again won an outstanding witness award against some of the best teams in the entire country.

Nearly the entire 2021–22 team returned this season—including myself, a junior—and newcomers are already holding their own. We recently competed at the University of Kansas Round Robin where we won the tournament with a record of 8-0 and a point differential of 102. Five of our 7 team members earned over 16 ranks, and newcomer Jenna Kimmel won an outstanding witness award for her role on the defense. Although we will have to wait for our tournaments at EKU and IUPUI to know our place in the upcoming season, we have certainly started strong—and we have no intention of stopping.

Frazier Museum Featured on Louisville Tourism’s Downtown Map

I’ve often heard it said that it’s the little things in life that remind us just how blessed we are. Coming off a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends, it’s one of those Iittle things that brought a big ol’ smile to my face over the weekend.

Our incredibly gracious partners at Louisville Tourism have decided to feature the front of our Frazier History Museum on this year’s downtown map. For a museum in only its sixth year as the place where the world meets Kentucky, that is a pretty big deal.

There are a total of 244 attractions, art galleries, coffee shops, hotels, music venues, bars, restaurants, retail opportunities, and information centers featured on the map. So, when I saw the picture of a cute couple—one with a Louisville Slugger mini bat in hand, the other with an Evan Williams Experience Bourbon package in hand—walking in front of the Frazier, we had a little marketing department celebration.

Thanks, Louisville Tourism, for the wonderful job you do celebrating our hometown and our Commonwealth of Kentucky. It’s good to be one of the cool kids on the block!

Museum Store: Dasher & Dancer & Prancer & Bourbon & Bourbon & Bourbon

The perfect gift for the Bourbon lover on your list: a shirt that celebrates three of Santa’s reindeer—and his most favorite helper of all! Shop online here.

Holiday Family Day is in Two Weeks!

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, it’s time to look forward to holiday fun!

Graphic for 2022 Holiday Family Day. Credit: Frazier History Museum.

We are celebrating Holiday Family Day here at the Frazier on Saturday, December 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. You and your family will enjoy crafts and activities in our galleries, experience special holiday-themed objects from our collection, and even try your hand at Dreidel with students from the Temple Religious School! If you are a member, it’s conveniently timed so you can stop by right after the Member Breakfast.

Do you have your winter break childcare set up? We are here for you! We are offering camps on December 19–22 and December 27–30. These camps are by the day, so you can tailor it to your schedule—leaving yourself enough time to wrap up in the office or wrap gifts, and allowing your child the chance to enjoy a few days with their friends during school breaks! And at $55 a day, it’s one of the best values in town for a high-quality (secretly—we don’t want the kids to find out they’ve actually been learning this whole time!) educational experience. Sign up here!

Introducing Education and Engagement Specialist Nicole Clay

Hi, Frazier Weekly readers! My name is Nicole and I’m the newest member of the Frazier staff, filling the position of education and engagement specialist.

While I may be new to the position, I’m not new to the Frazier. I grew up visiting the Frazier which caused me to fall deeper into my love of history. I try to visit at least one museum or historic site whenever I travel. I recently visited New York and upon seeing Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night for the first time I could not contain my joy. I’m in my final year at U of L’s Hite Art Institute working on my master’s in critical and curatorial and a graduate certificate in public history. I have always wanted to work in museums with interests in curation and education.

In 2021, I interned in the Frazier’s education department to see if museum education was for me. When the internship ended, and I was asked to stick around as a camp teacher for the summer, I immediately said yes! By the end of the summer, I knew museum education was the career I wanted to pursue—hopefully at the Frazier.

Since then, I have worked off and on with the Frazier, having been invited back whenever camps were held. One of my favorite camp memories is “stealing” Mona Lisa paintings that were hidden around the museum; my group of campers deciding to adopt English accents so as not to arouse suspicion of our heist.

I’m very happy to now be a permanent member of the amazing education team.

When I’m not working, I can be found yelling Jeopardy answers at the TV, jamming to musicals and punk rock, cheering on the Lady Cards in volleyball and basketball, or spending time with my family and friends.

Also, I typically lead tours Mondays, Tuesday, and Fridays, 3 p.m., and Sundays, noon and 2 p.m.—so please join me for one! I have a ton of fun Kentucky facts rattling around my brain.

Object in Focus: George Clooney’s O Brother, Where Art Thou? Overalls, 1999

On December 4, the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C., will host the forty-fifth annual Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. The Center traditionally honors five people each year for contributions to the arts. Among this year’s honorees—Amy Grant, Gladys Knight, Tania Leon, and the members of U2—is a Kentuckian: actor and director George Clooney.

Born in Lexington in 1961, Clooney attended schools in Fort Mitchell and Augusta before enrolling at Northern Kentucky University.

One of the first displays visitors entering the Frazier’s Cool Kentucky exhibition get to see is a mannequin outfitted in an original costume Clooney wore in the 2000 film O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Loosely based on the Odyssey, an eighth century BC epic poem by Greek writer Homer, O Brother, Where Art Thou? was directed by the Coen brothers and shot in Mississippi and South Carolina in the summer of 1999.

In the film, which is set in rural Mississippi in 1937, Clooney plays Ulysses Everett McGill, a prisoner who escapes from a chain gang with two other convicts, promising to lead them to buried treasure before the area is flooded to make a lake. Their run from the law takes them on a series of adventures, including a folk music career as the Soggy Bottom Boys.

The Ulysses costume on display in Cool Kentucky was loaned to the Frazier by the Rosemary Clooney House in Augusta, a town in Bracken County, Kentucky. It consists of the character’s signature dungarees and button-up shirt. The dungarees—studio-distressed, patched, blue denim overalls—have added elastic suspenders attached to the back of the garment’s integral adjustable fabric straps.

The film’s costume designer Mary Zophres would go on to work with Clooney on three Coen brothers projects: 2000’s O Brother, 2003’s Intolerable Cruelty, and 2008’s Burn After Reading.

History All Around Us

Webster and Barren County Aviators Ann Corbin Brown and Willa Brown Chappell

November is National Aviation History Month, a time dedicated to the numerous advancements and achievements in aviation over the years. Personally, I have always been fascinated with aviation—both the physics of flight and the freedom it brings.

My maternal grandmother, Ann Corbin Brown, was born in Webster County, Kentucky, in 1933. One of my favorite possessions is a picture of her sitting in an airplane with a HUGE smile on her face. If you didn’t know her, you might think she just got in the cockpit for the photo op—but her family and friends would know better. She was incredibly spunky and brave, constantly doing things that were “ahead of her time.” On the back of the picture is the date it was taken: 1949. She was sixteen and she was flying planes. She was so cool.

Another amazing Kentucky woman associated with flight was Willa Brown Chappell. She was born in Glasgow, Barren County, in 1906. She earned her pilot’s license in 1937, making her the first African American woman to be licensed in the United States. She later became the first African American officer in the Civil Air Patrol, and in 1943 she became the first woman in the United States to possess both a mechanic’s license and a commercial license in aviation. She was also so cool.

Had my grandmother heard about Mrs. Brown Chappell in the news and thus been inspired to learn how to fly? Unfortunately, I won't ever know the answer to that.

But I know these ladies had more in common than their aviating, their last name, and their state of origin: they were brave, trailblazing women!

Pictures of each pilot can be found here at the Frazier Museum. Mrs. Brown Chappell’s portrait is displayed in the Hall of Unsung Kentuckians in our Cool Kentucky exhibition. And a framed photograph of my Granny Ann is on display on a shelf in my office. I get to see both daily!

They inspire me to push boundaries and try new things.

Membership

Make Your Membership Mean More this Holiday Season!

The season of giving is officially here!

Whether you are starting or finishing your holiday shopping, a membership to the Frazier Museum should be on your list for finding the perfect gift. This year, we have made it possible to have that gift mean more to more people.

Double the Joy graphic. Credit: Frazier History Museum.

Don’t forget to Double the Joy of membership! When you purchase a NEW membership (Contributor-level and above) for yourself or as a gift, we will gift a membership to a family from a worthy organization within our community.

*If you have a preference for which organization receives a gift membership, please send me your organization choice at aegan@fraziermuseum.org.

Current members have the opportunity to be a part of the season of giving by purchasing a gift membership!

Giving is such an important part of the holiday season—there’s no better feeling than when that perfect gift brings excitement and appreciation. The families of our approved organizations thank you for your generosity and look forward to coming in, many for the first time.

There is no greater gift than being able to uplift our neighbors and our community.

Come experience more and be a part of where the world meets Kentucky!

Amanda Egan
Membership & Database Administrator

Bellarmine Mock Trial Team, George Clooney’s O Brother Where Art Thou? Overalls, Webster and Barren County Aviators, and More

Midcentury Ornaments, Louisville Naval Officers Killed at 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor, Rebuilding After Western Kentucky Tornado, and More

German Turkey Figurines, 1940–60; History of UK-U of L Football Rivalry, 1994–Present; Pecan Pie Cocktails With Log Still, and More