State of Montana Newsroom
MTHS Friends Celebrate Fifty Years
At 3 p.m. June 29, the Montana Historical Society will gather with old and new friends to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its volunteer program.
A small exhibit in the MTHS Lobby, fittingly titled “Fifty Years Amongst Friends,” will open as part of a celebration of this golden anniversary. A brief ceremony will mark the significant milestone.
“We welcome all volunteers — past and present — to join us for this celebration,” volunteer coordinator Katie White said.
The volunteer program began in 1972, after Gayle Shanahan, a member of the newly formed Helena Arts Council, suggested that the Montana Historical Society engage volunteers to provide tours of its exhibits. Then-curator Bob Morgan embraced the idea.
The program quickly grew beyond its initial focus. By 1982, with 75 volunteers, the docent board and Education Curator Jennifer Jeffries Thompson reorganized the program into its current form. Governed by a volunteer board, the Friends of the Montana Historical Society has three separate branches: the Docents, who provide tours; the Muses, who prepare and host receptions; and the Departmental Assistant Volunteers (DAVs), who work behind the scenes on projects from creating indexes to cataloguing quilts.
By 2015, 130 volunteers donated an average of 600 hours per month, performing tasks including ironing tablecloths; transcribing oral histories; cataloging photographs; preparing for receptions; providing educational tours; and digitizing prison records. That year, Gov. Steve Bullock honored the Friends’ commitment and hard work with a ServeMontana Award.
The Friends continue to perform vital work. The group’s members include high school students and octogenarians, retired physicians and longtime homemakers, the descendants of homesteaders and new Montana residents. They share a love of Montana, a love of history, and a commitment to service. They truly help save Montana’s past and share its stories.