My Museum Love Story started at age four.

The first museum I remember visiting is the Field Museum in Chicago. In 1977 The Treasures of King Tutankhamun “the boy king” came through town. Nearly 1.3 million visitors attended during the four-month stop of the exhibit. It was a blockbuster!

I remember waiting in long lines, big crowds, and my dad putting me on his shoulders—both to keep track of me and to allow me to see over the crowd. I loved it. I still remember seeing King Tut’s mask, my first glimpse of the dinosaurs in the huge grand hall of the museum, and seeing the Lions of Tsavo on display. I still have a small souvenir book from the King Tut exhibit that my parents bought me that day in the Field Museum gift shop.

Always a Girl Scout

My second memorable museum experience was even more profound and life-changing. It all began when I was six years old and joined Girl Scouts. On the first day, we opened our books, “Worlds to Explore.” On the inside cover was a photo of Juliette Gordon Low’s birthplace in Savannah, Georgia. In this home, she grew up and later founded Girl Scouts, USA.

The caption under the photo in the manual stated that as a Girl Scout I was invited to visit the her birthplace.

I was invited.

To the mansion.

Of a very important lady!

This blew my six year old mind. I had never been invited to anything more important than a birthday party-and now I was invited to a mansion!

Announcements and Challenges

During dinner that night, I excitedly announced to my parents that I had been invited to visit Juliette Gordon Low’s mansion in Savannah, Georgia. I knew that we were taking our annual drive to Florida on spring break later that Spring to see family friends. It only made sense to me that we should go to Savannah on the way.

*For younger readers that may require some context: Back in the late 1900’s, car rides meant reading, talking to other people in the car, keeping track of “out of state license plates” on passing cars (thereby knowing what state one is currently in). We did not watch movies, play games, listen to podcasts on individual devices like today. For this reason, at a very young age I had a pretty good understanding of geography, and knew that Georgia was on the way to Florida.

I am sure that like most parents, mine were amused. They probably thought that I’d soon move on to my next interest.

But I didn’t.

Instead, I told my grandmothers, great aunts, and family friends about my invitation. Finally I was asked, “Kelly, this trip will cost money. Can you afford to go?”

Thus began my first museum fundraising campaign. At the time, I thought $3 was a lot of money, but I thought it would be enough. My grandmothers each donated one dollar, and my great Aunt Lena gave me a two dollar bill. I’d exceeded my goal!

When I told my parents that I now had money to go to Savannah, they said, “Wonderful. But you are going to have to be a very good girl and not get into any trouble between now and when we drive to Florida.” And so began my first Public Relations and Marketing campaign-convincing them that I was always well behaved and therefore deserved to go see Juliette Gordon Low’s House.

On our trip to Florida, we visited Walt Disney World-but I still chattered on and on about my invitation to Juliette Gordon Low’s House. On our way home, our parents-who are truly awesome people-drove to Savannah, Georgia. I now realize after having driven to and from Savannah a few times myself as an adult, that this indulgence added more than 6 hours of driving to our trip. My parents fostered an interest in history in all three their children, by taking us to museums, historic battlefields, House Museums and historic sites all through out our childhood.

We visited the Mansion. My brother and sister were toddlers-too small to go in and take the tour. They stayed in the car with my dad. Mom and I took the tour. I LOVED EVERY MOMENT.

My First Day as A Volunteer Museum Tour Guide

When we got back to the car, I felt bad for my dad. He didn’t get to see the house. So I parroted to Dad every detail that I could remember about it…for about 1100 miles. From the color of the walls, to the candlesticks she received as a wedding gift, to the way Juliette’s hair was worn in a portrait over the fireplace.  I him stories of how Juliette lost her hearing due to an ear infection she acquired on her wedding day, that her niece “Daisy Doots” was the first Girl Scout, and that I wished I could have slid down the curved banister on the staircase.  It was my first “tour” and I recited it the entire way home to Illinois, never realizing that it would someday become my career.

A Passion Leads to a Career

And so began my love for house museums. I have visited hundreds of them since then, and have worked or consulted in quite a few over the past sixteen years. No, I am not exaggerating. I have literally visited hundreds of house museums.

I have returned to the Juliette Gordon Low house and visited Savannah several times. Every time I visit, it reminds me of how my passion for museums was first sparked at that site. I am so grateful to have awesome parents who noticed that going to museums totally LIT ME UP so they indulged and fanned my interest in history.

Visiting museums and Girl Scouts brought me to a career that I truly enjoy. I’ve made friends all over the world. My personal mission is to ignite the same passion for museums in others by providing meaningful experiences wherever I work.