Muriel with Historical Society friends, left to right Walter and Mary Cornelius and Muriel and Fred Rounds.

Muriel with Historical Society friends, left to right Walter and Mary Cornelius and Muriel and Fred Rounds.

 

Each of us is a history maker…

The past ten days were a clear reminder that history continues to unfold through every day occurrences including celebrations of birth and bittersweet commemorations of death. On Monday staff member Diane shared photos of her brand new grandson, Benjamin. He is bright-eyed, with full cheeks and a shock of coal-black hair. This tiny person will join another generation of human beings who will create history. Their fingerprints will be found on new innovations and technologies. Perhaps Benjamin will excel in a laboratory or classroom, on the athletic field or even in congress.

Tomorrow I will attend a memorial service for Muriel Rounds, a wonderful member of the Troy Historical Society since the early 1980s. Muriel was raised on a family fruit farm in California, and following college worked as the Executive Director of a YWCA in Detroit. She was a loving wife and mom who shared her love of history and learning with thousands of children who’ve come to the Village on fieldtrips. She changed history by making others aware of its lessons.

It is easy to identify history makers whose stories are featured on CNN. But history is more than the headlines. There are stories, including Muriel’s and our own that affect individuals, communities, and society in subtle and dramatic ways. Each of us is a history maker.