An Update from the President & CEO

Good Day Everyone, “Today, give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine they see all day.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Living in a Sunshine State. From time to time, you may have taken note of an athlete making a bold prediction that they “guarantee” a victory. Sometimes this works out for them, and sometimes they get a spot of egg on their face. Though I am, as a rule, far from bold, I will make a prediction that I know I can safely guarantee. When your shadow crosses the threshold of the Elliott Museum, you will be greeted at the front desk by a burst of sunshine — be it one of the Elliott’s beloved volunteers, or staff members M.J. Parker, Jillian Brehne, or Amie Smith, who is our bright, shining leader of Visitor Sevices and Membership. They will, without fail, greet you with a smile and a hefty dose of sincere kindness. You can rest assured that this crew IS thrilled to see you, and they want nothing more than for you to enjoy your visit to the museum. Our front desk exists in a continual state of sunshine!

Sunny dispositions. Our museum campuses are situated less than a mile apart (as the crow flies) on Hutchinson Island. They are both happy places. The happiness that emotes from these museums cannot be attributed to latitude, longitude, politics, weather, education, eye color, or paranormal activity. They are happy places because happiness begets more happiness. Happiness is infectious. I also believe that happy people attract other happy people, and eventually, they create a happy critical mass. We have arrived. When things return to normal, you will be visiting a museum that will make you forget about what you have endured in the early months of 2020. I promise that you will be able to absorb a tall measure of the kindness that permeates our culture, and you will enjoy basking in the sunny disposition that surrounds you. I know it sounds too good to be true, but true it is. It is also legal, affordable, and available 360 days a year!

The sun will come out tomorrow. Whether these words are being sung by Little Orphan Annie or spoken by a person off the street, they often ring true. I can, however, think of one exception. If the Historical Society of Martin County were not blessed with over 100 volunteers, the sun would not come out, and we could not open our doors to our guests. Our talented, cheerful, and selfless volunteers give countless thousands of hours of their valuable time helping us fulfill our mission. These delightful people bring decades of diverse experience to our cause and they make difficult tasks seem like child’s play on a regular basis. I believe with great conviction that the absolute best way to have an exceptional experience in any museum is to spend some quality time with a passionate volunteer docent. You can see the excitement in their eyes and hear the passion in their voices as they tell the stories of our past. These folks are terrific storytellers.

Ken Hawman is one of the Elliott Museum's dedicated volutneers. He wrote a book about the Ais Indians and donated some of the books to the Elliott, which are available for sale in the Museum Store. Frank Spera, pictured here giving a tour, also is a committed volunteer who wrote a book on baseball. He, too, donated copies to the museum and they may be purchased in The Elliott's Museum Store.

When you visit a museum, you may not remember all the names and dates of artifacts and events that you saw but you will never forget the heartfelt story you were told by the docent who engaged you. Our volunteers serve in many other roles beyond that of being a docent. They are mechanics, machinists, artists, woodworkers, archivists, historians, hosts, cooks, bartenders, marketers, clerks, ticket sellers, and retailers. Joan Murphy and Sharyon Diagneau took the reins of our Museum Store and drove sales up by over 65% in less than a year! When next you visit one of our historical museums, please join me in offering your words of thanks to all of these invaluable members of the Historical Society of Martin County family. If you are interested in putting your passion into service, we warmly welcome you to join the ranks of our volunteers at the Elliott Museum or House of Refuge. The hours are extremely flexible and whatever time spent is greatly appreciated! For more information, please email Al Simbritz . Be alert, be well, be hopeful, Rob Steele HSMC President & CEO

The Struggle for Power, Part Two

In this week's segment, Car Curator John Giltinan shares part two of "The Struggle for Power." You can view the video here. Also, we invite you to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and COMMENT on the videos. We are just seven people away from being able to customize the name of our channel, which will make it easier for folks to find our channel.

Streaming Sound Meditations continue! THIS WEEK: May 5 & 7 - Streaming Live at 2 p.m.

This week, you will have the opportunity to take in two different sound meditations offered by HI Mindfulness Forums. Streaming live from the theater at the Elliott Museum, Deena's next event will be Tuesday, May 5, at 2 p.m. To participate, just go to the HI Mindfulness Facebook page at facebook.com/himindfulness . Then on Thursday, May 7, at 2 p.m., Tecia Linville will join Deena for a sound meditation on Instagram with a variety of instruments with the intention of elevating all hearts with love and compassion. You can enjoy the soothing sounds at https://www.instagram.com/deenarahill. Deena also invites you to watch her past sessions on her new YouTube channel. You can experience one of her previous online sessions here . Please LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and COMMENT ! Thank you in advance! If you wish to connect with Deena, text or call 786-488-7782.

The Historical Society of Martin County A Treasure on the Treasure Coast since 1961! www.hsmc-fl.com Elliott Museum | 825 NE Ocean Blvd. on Hutchinson Island in Stuart, FL 34996 772-225-1961 House of Refuge • 301 SE MacArthur Blvd. on Hutchinson Island in Stuart FL 34996 772-225-1875