by Rhonda Dedyne with an album
A comment by Paine-Gillam-Scott Assistant Director Bill McCarthy about Catherine Rumbaugh captures the essence of a woman who is most deserving of the titles Historian and Director Emeritus, honors she received in 2010 from the Clinton County Historical Society and the Museum – a place that was most certainly her second home.
“Catherine always had a belief that in order to appreciate the future, you needed to learn about the past; she said that was the importance of history,” Bill recalls about the Clinton County native who passed away April 24 and had dedicated a good share of her life to preserving our county’s heritage via the vast array of artifacts and documents housed at the Museum.
Catherine’s emphasis on educating current and future generations about Clinton County’s rich history was evident to everyone who knew her, myself included. It was my pleasure to interview Catherine for multiple stories over the past 30 years, and to have worked with her and Museum volunteers on a variety of projects and events, during and after my time on PGS Advisory Board and .
One of my favorite news articles from those years is a story that published in the Lansing City magazine back in 1992 that highlighted the important place history held for both Catherine and John, her husband and an equal in a partnership that spanned 54 years. John passed away January 28, 1998. An excerpt from that article underscores the correlation between history and education that Bill remarked upon during our conversation this week.
“The Museum is a valuable asset to the community,” Catherine said in the story. “The exhibits and collections can be used as a learning tool by teachers in the area, and we’re always hopeful that the community will begin to have a greater appreciation for the history that the work of all the Museum volunteers over the years has helped to insure.”
That goal has been achieved thanks to the volunteers Catherine cited, like Gerri Wyble who has worked at the Museum since the early 1980s and remains as an active volunteer and Board member.
“Catherine was an historian who treasured every piece that came into the Museum, and she knew where each one came from and the historical story behind it,” Gerri says, citing the keen memory and attention to detail that was another of Catherine’s trademarks. “We are so lucky to have had Catherine and John and the others who started the Museum and helped it open in 1979 – just think of the history that would have been lost if they hadn’t had the vision to make it happen.”
PGS Executive Director Diane Carlson, who took over for Catherine following her “retirement” in 2010, agrees with Gerri.
“Catherine had a vision for what the Museum could continue to become, and she taught all of us so much about the history of our county,” Diane says. “I started volunteering and working with Catherine in 2001, and she never did anything without giving thought to the purpose behind every exhibit and display. She was a wealth of information – everything was always thoroughly researched and factual. It’s impossible to follow her.”
While attention to detail was a priority – Catherine was a taskmaster, for sure – a warm, humorous side often revealed itself to those who knew her well.
“Holiday times at the Museum when we hosted Victorian Christmas were always fun,” Bill recalls about the special events that he participated in since becoming a volunteer in 1996. “Catherine loved having fresh evergreen garlands decorating the Museum and the old-fashioned Christmas tree, even though she had terrible allergies. Those were special occasions for her because so many people visited who had never been to the Museum before.”
While the long-time director wasn’t able to be as active in the past year, she still kept up to date on its exhibits and changes to displays like “Calendar Hall” on the Museum’s second floor that is a visual timeline of historic events. Originated by Catherine a number of years ago, volunteers have recently updated the exhibit.
“We were all thinking, ‘We need to do this the way Catherine would want it,’ and we were hopeful that she would be able to visit and see it this spring after the Museum opens next week,” Diane says.
Perhaps Catherine and John’s viewing has already happened.
“She and John are working together again now – probably planning something new for the Museum,” Bill says with a smile. “She worked so hard, and taught us all something.”
My lesson may be in the files of historical material I’ve accumulated over the years. I am not blessed with Catherine’s organizational abilities. I need to do better. My archival system involves sorting through folders (both digital and “real”) of photos and articles, picking what’s necessary for the assignment currently in progress – and then putting everything back in the same sorry mess. Catherine would not be pleased – but she always did like my writing, so I’ve got that going for me.
Those files yielded many Rumbaugh treasures:
– The aforementioned Lansing City magazine story
– An expanded obituary from John’s passing
– Many photos of the Museum, including Bill putting up garland and Catherine by the Victorian Christmas tree (with Art Wainwright shooting video for use on his television segment that aired at that time)
Catherine Rumbaugh accepted the 1998 Bill Patton Award from Bill Patton’s daughter, Mary Beth Moldenhauer, in front of the Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum which Catherine and John Rumbaugh helped bring to life. Also pictured are Laura Mullaney (front, far right), SJ Chamber Ambassador, and Rumbaugh family members in attendance at the ceremony (back, l-r) granddaughter, Allison Kusenda; daughter and son-in-law, Karen and Dan Kusenda; and grandchildren, Sarah Taylor and Andrew Jenkins.
– Catherine accepting the St. Johns Chamber of Commerce Bill Patton Award given to her and posthumously to John;
And one of Catherine’s most valued achievements – recognition of the PGS Museum as a Michigan Historic site with placement of a Michigan Historical Marker. That date, July 29, 1998, was special – the first such marker placed in the city of St. Johns – requiring much documentation and submittal of information, primarily from Catherine’s source materials.
Our community’s history is alive and growing thanks in part to a lady many people will never personally know – that’s the magic of Paine-Gillam-Scott Museum.
The building that it honors served as a backdrop in 1998 for the newly erected Paine-Gillam-Scott House Michigan Historical Marker. Pictured (l-r): Clinton County Historical Society President Betty Jane Minsky, PGA Museum Director Catherine Rumbaugh, former resident of the house Edith Russell, and Keith Molin of the Michigan Historical Commission.