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The quewn of volunteers
It would probably scare Carol Johnson if she actually sat down some day and tried to calculate the number of hours she’s spent over the last couple of decades volunteering for the Uxbridge Historical Society, the fundraising and event management group that supports the Uxbridge Historical Centre. Her husband Harry, who has performed yeoman service in Carol’s support throughout those same years, had best keep his wife from seeing the final tally, lest she faint on the spot from accumulated exhaustion.
Carol spent a full ten years as president of the Society, and even though she no longer holds that position, she was every bit as much in evidence as usual at Heritage Days this past weekend, both on the museum grounds and behind the scenes, coordinating publicity, volunteers and no doubt a great number of other things besides. She was heard to mention that she and Harry put in 15-hour days both Thursday and Friday, so it’s questionable if she slept at all during the actual event. She was also heard to vow on the weekend that this would be her last Heritage Days in an organizational capacity. She most assuredly deserves the rest, but we can’t imagine how many feet it’s going to take to fill those shoes.
The current board of the Historical Society, which thanks to Carol’s tireless recruiting efforts now includes some fresh and fairly young blood, presented her with some flowers in a brief ceremony towards the end of the day Sunday, in recognition of her years of service to the Society, the museum and the Township. It was a nice gesture, but in our view, it wasn’t nearly enough. If founding curator Allan MacGillivray received a stone plaque on his retirement from the museum a few years back, Carol Johnson deserves some form of permanent recognition as well. How about the Carol Johnson Gazebo, one of the many public-oriented features which didn’t exist before her tenure as president? We’re certain there is a very long list of physical improvements, as well as programming innovations, for which she can take a great deal of the credit. She no doubt has become extremely adept at applying for grants; the access ramps at all the Historical Centre’s buildings can attest to that.
Over the last several years, Carol has fought endlessly, and often with a considerable amount of frustration, to not only keep up the membership numbers in the Society (many of those who founded the group, and the museum, are no longer with us), but to convince Township bureaucrats, and members of Council, of the importance of the museum in their ongoing budget discussions.
That’s not just because a community has no heart unless it values its heritage. It’s also because an increasing focus on our history will be vital to the Township’s economic future. We may be the Trails Capital of Canada, but as a lure to tourists, those trails pale in comparison to unique features like the Foster Memorial, the LM Montgomery Historic Site, the Heritage Railway and at the centre, the museum.
We can think of few volunteers who have played such a key role in their chosen field as Carol Johnson. The Township should pay her tribute, and the best way to do that is to give her beloved museum the support it needs.
July 14, 2011
