‘Johnson County Museum tells the story of suburbia.’ Its new director embraces history

Starting a new job during a pandemic didn’t daunt Mary McMurray.

In fact, McMurray believes historic times like these are perfect for starting a new collection.

McMurray became director of the Johnson County Museum in Overland Park on April 6.

Ten days later, the museum launched a regional COVID-19 initiative.

Residents are being asked to share their thoughts on the museum’s website www.jcprd.com/collecting.

“We have received several submissions, each sharing their own unique perspectives on the current pandemic,” McMurray says. “We have also solicited and received donations of a few items like face shields made for medical professionals in the Johnson County Library’s Black & Veatch MakerSpace.

“We know, however, that it will take time to process and reflect on these historic times, so we will keep our collecting effort going into the future so that people can share when they are ready.”

The collection aligns with McMurray’s goal for the museum, which had more than 57,000 visitors in 2019, to be community focused.

“More than anything, I want to make the Johnson County Museum feel like home to everyone in the community,” she says. “A place where our community can gather to understand themselves and each other better. A place where they can be inspired. A place that inspires awe and sparks curiosity. A place of pride. A place they regularly visit and want to share with friends.”

The museum reopened under COVID-19 guidelines on June 1 with 90-minute, pre-registered tours made through the website www.jcprd.com/330/Museum. Pre-registered experiences also are available at KidScape and at Lanesfield Historic Site.

Discovering love of history

Born and raised in St. Joseph, McMurray, now a Prairie Village resident, discovered a love of history as a child.

“I have always loved learning about the past,” she says. “My grandparents regularly wove stories of life growing up in the Great Depression, World War II, politics, and more into our daily conversations, and my dad also loved to share stories of the past. Their stories lit the spark for me.”

What turned her “initial spark of interest in history into a flame” was visiting museums with her family and in school groups.

“The grand buildings, the artifacts, the engaging storytelling, the ability to step into another time or place, to see and understand the past: How could museums not transform a kid interested in history into a museum professional with a lifelong passion for making the world a better place through the study of the past?” McMurray says.

“Museums are magical like that. I’m so glad they cast their spell on me.”

McMurray earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in history from the University of Missouri- Columbia and University of Missouri-Kansas City, respectively, and a doctorate in history from the University of Kansas.

While pursuing her undergraduate degree, McMurray thought she would eventually become a history professor after she established herself in the business world and had built up a savings account.

“After college, I entered the sales world, but just more than a year into that professional experience, I started questioning how long I could work for a paycheck instead for my passion,” she says.

“The answer was not long.”

During graduate school, she spent a summer interning at the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.

There, McMurray was reunited with her childhood love of museums and decided she wanted to pursue her love of history through museum work.

“I saw how museums inspire awe and spark curiosity, how they educate and foster community, and how they provide a sense of understanding of ourselves and each other,” she says.

The military family

McMurray’s doctorate dissertation was about the development of Army family policy from World War II through 1983.

McMurray says her dissertation was rooted when she joined her maternal grandfather at the WWII reunion of the Seventh Armored Division members and their wives. There she became curious about the role of military spouses during the war.

“The following year, I was driving two women to the Enterprise Rent-A-Car branch where I worked. I commented that they seemed like they had been friends forever,” she says. “The women said they had, then one said, ‘We fought the war together’. ”

McMurray asked if the women were members of the Women’s Army Corps, or WAVES (the United States Navel Women’s Reserve, or the United States Coast Guard Women’s Reserve. No, one of the women responded. They were Army wives.

“That response stayed with me,” McMurray says. “I couldn’t stop thinking about why they chose to use the word ‘fought.’

“Eventually my curiosity of that woman’s word choice led me to write a dissertation about the development of Army family policy from the beginning of World War II, when Army family policy was best summarized by the old saying ‘If the Army wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one’, until 1983 when the Army Chief of Staff declared that the Army and Army families were interdependent and launched a host of policies and programs that aimed to embrace family members as true partners.”

McMurray says while many had looked at military leadership, her focus was on military spouses.

“Military spouse guidebooks and periodicals, stories of wives organizing, political sources and oral histories revealed the many ways in which spouses contributed to the making of the Army as a family institution.”

Leader, consultant and teacher

Prior to coming to the museum, McMurray served as superintendent of historic sites and outdoor education for Jackson County. She is also a consultant for the Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. She previously worked for the Truman Library Institute as director of learning and engagement and, before that, as director of the library’s White House Decision Center.

She has taught courses in the history departments at the University of Kansas and University of Missouri-Kansas City, and served as program manager for Children and Youth in History, an online educational resource provided by the Center for History and New Media at George Mason University.

McMurray was drawn to become the museum’s director because of its staff, the work being done there, and its goal of serving the community.

“It is so rare to get the opportunity to join an incredible team doing mission-focused work dedicated to improving the lives of their fellow citizens, let alone one with a compelling strategic plan and strong government and non-profit partners. To get that opportunity right here in my backyard — I couldn’t believe it. I am so lucky.”

The museum’s greatest strength is its staff and how they work together, McMurray says.

“There is nothing better than working for a mission you believe in with people you trust and respect,” she said. “Incredible things happen in cultures like that.

“The team here is the force behind all the museum’s initiatives.”

State-of-the-art exhibitions, dynamic educational experiences and a prime location inside the Johnson County Arts and Heritage Center are a few of the museum’s strengths.

“In many ways, the Johnson County Museum tells the story of suburbia,” McMurray says.

“It is a story that resonates with suburban experiences across the United States. As impressive as that story is, what impresses me most about the museum is the way it collects and shares stories of individuals who contributed to our shared history and identity in their own unique ways.”

McMurray says among those people are: Virgina Huebert and Mary Hohenstein, who published weekly news from the Sunflower Ammunition Plant and the nation in the Sunflower Sentinel during World War II; Vic Regnier, who saw Johnson County’s potential beyond suburban housing developments; Frank Wiziarde, who served in WWII and went on to star in Whizzo’s Wonderland; Donald and Virgina Sewing, who helped African American families secure homes in Johnson County; Rev. Robert Meneilly, Ruth Shechter, Robert McCallop, Sr., Esther Brown, and countless others who worked tirelessly for civil rights; Jan Meyers who raised a family in Johnson County and served 30 years in Kansas politics; and John and Marguerite Barkley, who advocated for county-wide services like parks, libraries and a museum.

“These people, everyday Johnson Countians, shaped their present and our shared future,” McMurray says. “They make our suburban story unique. And their passion for helping Johnson County fulfill its potential over the years inspires me and my work.”

This story was originally published June 1, 2020 at 7:00 AM with the headline "‘Johnson County Museum tells the story of suburbia.’ Its new director embraces history."