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History Comes to Life!
Every day at the Frazier, see live historical performances of all kinds-- various true stories from over 1,000 years of history & demonstrations of sword fighting techniques from a number of time periods.
Use Your Imagination
Posted February 2, 2012
Mick Sullivan, Assistant Manager of Guest Services
Meeting many of our members at the Frazier History Museum is an education in and of itself, and one of the absolute best aspects of my job. The diversity our members represent, and the wide net of interests they cast, makes for enlightening moments nearly any day. One of my favorite encounters was with an older gentleman who came back to the admissions counter after spending the day enjoying the museum. He and his wife decided they’d like to join as members and we began chatting. I could have listened to him all day.
He was a retired history professor from a very reputable east coast school who had just relocated to Louisville and was dealing with some serious medical issues. Nonetheless, he was still very eager to share some of the most recent knowledge he’d gained about an obscure episode in British History. In listening to him share his new learnings, I could hear and see a near child-like excitement in him. It was obvious that he had a deep love for what he did – which in and of itself was refreshing and inspiring – but one sentiment in particular has lingered with me since that day. He told me how he would always tell his students, “The 
only way to truly understand history is to use your imagination.” It’s a concept I understood in action, but to hear it stated so simply, and by such a distinguished fellow was nearly earth shattering to me. It’s true – imagination is what turns dates and words in a book into a real story that can unfold in our minds. Through the visualization of this story, we become interested, even hooked, on the learning process. Hopefully it snowballs from there.
Our museum, with its fantastic collections and team of educators and interpreters, brings history to life as well as anything I’ve seen. It’s this life that often sparks imaginations and creates lifetime learners. Seeing this process continue daily is exciting and rewarding – and a constant reminder that even as adults, we should always use our imagination and always be learning. It’s a great example to set for younger generations – just as this gentleman set a great example for me.
