JUNIOR AMBASSADORS – CARRYING THE PAST INTO THE FUTURE
February 27, 2020 by Rebecca Gallagher
The Junior Ambassador program is an idea that came about when Anna Hodges, Cedar Key Historical Society (CKHS) Director, and Lisa Custer, a teacher at Cedar Key School (CKS), put their heads together. Under the direction of Hodges, the memberships in CKHS have exploded to over 300. That was not enough for Hodges. She wanted to get young people involved in history and the museum. Custer wanted to give students an after-school activity that would be educational and fun. These two amazing women came up with the foundation of the Junior Ambassadors. The mission of the club is to provide hands-on experience in the museum by working on new exhibits and caring for existing museum projects.
The youths first tackled the Eagle Pencil exhibit that was recently donated by Bernadette Christian, whose family members were employees of the Eagle Pencil Factory for generations. Junior Ambassador Michael Collins explained the importance of the wood mills in Cedar Key. Collins stated, “Before we all were oystering and clamming, the factories supported Cedar Key.” Collins also said, “I love history. It’s the only class I can get and ’A’ in.”
Junior Ambassador Lucas Zeigler said he’d like to see an exhibit of boats through the ages. Both agreed the Cedar Key Historical Museum needed an exhibit detailing Cedar Key’s importance during the Civil War. Another exhibit that many of the ambassadors felt would be important is an exhibit about the net ban in 1995 changed Cedar Key and affected most of the Cedar Key families.
Collins, Zeigler, and Hodges were discussing their ancestors. Instantly Custer and Hodges decided the ambassadors needed a subscription to Ancestry.com so they could discover the roles their ancestors played in Cedar Key history.
They would need a computer to do that. Well, the Junior Ambassadors have a benefactor. When Mark Moore, new member of CKHS and president of M.E.E.T.S. and Knott’s Riverforest Foundations, heard about the Junior Ambassadors, he donated the substantial funds to help launch the new program.
Collins said history is just a story and all stories have history. Custer reminded the students that stories reflect individual points of view; therefore, it is important to research several points of view in order to get a complete picture. I, for one, am looking forward to more stories, history, and exhibits from this excited group. The history of Cedar Key is in good hands of these youth, the new Historical Society Ambassadors.
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