The Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums will honor Rock County historian Betty Mann on April 26 with the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award for her efforts in preserving and sharing local and regional history.
Rock County History Center director Wendel Buys submitted her nomination.
“Betty Mann is a lifetime resident of Rock County, and as such she is a local treasure trove of history. Her 26 years as a public school teacher gave her a love for learning and sharing what she has learned,” Buys wrote.
“This has become invaluable as she has spent many hours in research, and most of what she has learned she retains and shares with others.”
He said Mann’s teaching degree also enabled her to give meaningful history talks to many groups over the years and to provide research results for many people, ranging from those seeking family history to those creating documentaries and television programs.”
Mann retired from teaching in Luverne in 1993 and became the Historical Society president in 1994, retiring from that leadership position this year after 27 years.
“Her love for history is infectious and shows as she gives tours in the Rock County History Center or presents at local businesses or in classrooms in the schools of Rock County,” Buys wrote.
“Her love for collecting has also put Luverne on the map as the home of the third-largest nutcracker collection in the world.”
He said Mann’s experience and wisdom is encapsulated in a quote she often uses: “We can’t live in the past, but we need to learn by it.”
Mann said on Wednesday she was humbled and a bit “uncomfortable” to learn about the award. “I like to do things for other people; I don’t do things for awards,” she said.
“It’s going to be hard for me to accept this. … I’m uncomfortable, but thrilled. … Maybe I have done something to help preserve our history.”
Mann will be honored at a reception at Arrowwood Resort & Conference Center in Alexandria on April 26 during the Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums annual meeting and conference.
The organization will honor four local history projects with a Minnesota History Award and Mann as the individual with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Deserving of recognition
The Alliance issued a formal announcement last week about Mann’s award.
“Betty is an important voice for her organization in the community and contributed greatly to the historical research that had a nationwide impact through her work with Ken Burns,” the committee wrote.
Mann helped Burns research local history for the documentary film, “The War,” that featured Luverne as one of three U.S. communities and the effects of World War II on the home front.
Among the considerations for Lifetime Achievement Awards are the honorees’ contributions to history outside their communities.
“She also shared her experiences by forming a regional organization and providing guidance to those historical societies so they could strengthen their operations and physical facilities,” the committee wrote about Mann.
Nobles County Historical Society Board member Jerry Fiola supported Mann’s nomination for the award.
“She helped to shape our operational vision and assisted the members in arriving at a consensus on how best to get started. Since then, we have been holding regularly scheduled meetings three to four times a year,” Fiola wrote to the Alliance.
“This ongoing regional networking group is another of Betty’s many legacies to the history preservation field.”
After Rock County’s History Center was successfully opened, Fiola said Mann shared advice for the Nobles County Historical Society move into the National Guard Armory in Worthington.
“Betty’s invaluable mentoring undoubtedly contributed to our organization’s success in completing this relocation project,” he said about the $4 million Armory renovation.
May 1 open house to honor Mann’s 27 years as Historical Society president
Mann recalls that Don Klosterbuer had asked to attend a Rock County Historical Society meeting 27 years ago.
“I went to that meeting and came out president,” she said. “I took the position on one condition — that I would step down after we found a larger space.”
At the time, in 1994, the Victorian Hinkly House was the only local museum in the community and it was overcrowded with artifacts.
She said Jake Boomgaarden once overheard her bemoaning the lack of space and approached his fellow Masons about selling the Masonic Lodge for a museum and the Masons could continue meeting upstairs.
Once the museum was established in the Masonic Lodge, Mann soon discovered that handicap accessibility was an issue, and the search was on for another location.
Along the way she spearheaded several additional Rock County history attractions — the move of two Historical Society buildings to the fairgrounds as well as the building of two others there.
In 2014 the current building — the historic Ford Motors garage — was purchased and remodeled over the course of the year.
“Under Betty’s direction, the funds were raised to purchase the building, the remodeling was completed, and the mortgage was paid off within five years,” Buys said, adding that Mann’s work is never done.
“Betty is at the Rock County History Center every day volunteering her time in collecting and preserving information for our research center, giving tours, doing research in response to requests, caring for and creating displays, archiving, and a multitude of other activities,” he wrote in his nomination letter.
“At 91, Betty is tireless in her efforts to keep things running smoothly at the museum.”
Mann reflected on progress over the past 20-some years and said she’s relieved that local history finally has a beautiful, functional and accessible home on Main Street.
However, she said the collections at the museum are already outgrowing their space and she said an expansion will likely be necessary.
“But,” she qualified, “someone else will have to be in charge of that.”
On the heels of her Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony on April 26, her May 1 open house in Luverne will be from 1 to 4 p.m.
To celebrate Mann’s contributions to history, the Historical Society will accept donations for additional storage space at the History Center.
“Currently the building is overflowing with exhibits and artifacts in storage waiting for their turn to go on display,” Buys said.