We received the following press release from the Lowell Area Historical Museum.
This year’s Lowell Area Historical Museum volunteer of the year, Don Leeman performs a number of roles at the Museum.
He works as a docent on Saturdays and fills in on Thursdays when needed. Don can be found at summer concerts, expertly preparing buns and plates to receive cheeseburgers and hotdogs. He cheerfully helps with anything that needs attention, from changing light bulbs, to bringing Christmas decoration up from the basement to coming in for a rental during Riverwalk Festival.
Don created a database of all known Civil War Veterans in Lowell. The database includes their military unit, spouses, and any other relevant information. A good example of this is the record for Hosmer Andrews from Alton. He served in the 25th MI Infantry Co. B. He also served as a pall bearer for President Lincoln.
Don has also taken an interest in documenting the histories of buildings along Main Street and beyond. He takes the information that is known from articles, directories and more.
For example, farm auctions and their locations are advertised in newspapers that Don then collects and records the information from. He created a database of all the buildings and is recording every mention of them in city directories and other sources. This database gives us a concise spot to go to learn about each building and its chain of businesses. His attention to detail makes this complicated database very usable.
His attention to detail also makes Don a perfect proofreader. He reads every ABCs, Along Main Street and Missing Along Main article before they go public. Don also proof-read the new updates to the Early History Gallery.
His knowledge of Lowell history is a valued source of information for the many questions that come to the museum from the public and our own internal research. His memory of people and places in Lowell, often remembered from riding along with his father as he delivered milk, is a wealth of information.
We appreciate Don’s steady presence at the Museum and all that he brings to the Lowell Area Historical Museum. We are lucky to have him as a part of the team.
The Robert Graham Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Don for all that he has done to promote the Lowell Area Historical Museum and Lowell area history.
Past recipients of the award were:
- 2018 Bev Anderson
- 2019 Carolyn Jane Blough
- 2020 Dale Kropf
- 2021 Cathy Haefner
- 2022 Jim Doyle
- 2023 Don DeJong
- 2024 Gary Blough
Congrats Don! Well deserved