New leaders chosen for Truman Museum and historic site

Two Truman institutions in Independence have new leaders.

Kurt Graham, currently head of the Church History Museum in Utah, has been named the new director of the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.

Carol Dage, a 26-year staff member at the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, has been named its new superintendent.

Graham will assume his duties July 26, according to the announcement made Monday by the National Archives and Records Administration.

He has led the Mormon church’s Church History Museum in Salt Lake City since 2010 and supervised a redesign of the facility’s principal history exhibit. Before that, Graham served as director of the McCracken Research Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyo., where he supervised the digitization of archival collections and led a renovation.

Graham replaces Michael Devine, who retired in May 2014.

Dage, who was named the new superintendent of the Truman site by the National Park Service last week, began her career there as the museum’s curator.

Since 2002, she had served as cultural resources chief for the site, which operates both the Truman Home at 219 N. Delaware Ave. in Independence and the Truman Farm Home at 12301 Blue Ridge Blvd. in Grandview.

Dage replaces Larry Villalva, who retired last fall. Her first day is July 12.

The Truman Library, which closed last week because of air conditioning problems, will reopen Tuesday. Broken water lines that had disabled the library’s cooling systems now have been repaired, said Amy Williams, library deputy director.

The library, at 500 W. U.S. 24 in Independence, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

This story was originally published June 29, 2015 at 4:06 PM.