Retirement Is a Time for Doing, Not Thinking
Share
Tweet
After 25 years of serving as the Blaine County Museums Curator, Director and Manager, Jude Sheppard has retired. Good luck to her as she takes on the next chapter in her life.
When visitors reflect on their time spent at the Blaine County Museum, they often recall the museum's insightful and moving multimedia presentation, "Forty Miles from Freedom," on the history of the Battle of the Bear Paw and the Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) of 1877, which took place 16 miles south of Chinook.
Combining video, sound, and lighting effects and centered around artist Lorenzo Ghiglieri's spectacular paintings, the twenty-minute presentation recounts the events leading up to the battle and siege of the Bear Paw, which ended one of the most tragic retreats in U.S. history.
While that exhibit might be central to the museum, it is only one of many that invite visitors to encounter a very different way of life than we experience today.
For 25 years, while serving as the curator, director, and manager of the Blaine County Museum (BCM), Jude Sheppard appreciated taking care of that history for future generations. From that fondness, she offers advice to the next museum director, since Sheppard retired at the end of 2018.
"A museum director is a guardian of the past. We preserve history so that others can learn from it. A person in this role must not only value history but be pleasant to the public. Passion and personality matter in this business. When creating exhibits, a curator has to consider the emotional response or connection that people might have. Once formed, this connection conveys a value in old things," Sheppard said.
During her tenure with Blaine County, these beliefs inspired Sheppard as she created exhibits for the museum One of the exhibits about which she spoke fondly was the A.M. Allison Collection, which features more than 3,000 negatives with 40 portraits on display. "These are portraits of local people who played a role in the history of the area. Some of the portraits date back to the 1920s and '30s; they tell a story," Sheppard said.
"In his day, Allison was a professional Chinook photographer. He was the father of Alice Philippi, which many area residents might recall as the woman who for years served as an assistant to Steve Helmbrecht in his photography business. When she saw the exhibit, she was so pleased, saying that people would finally see a tribute to her father. Furthermore, with its 3000 negatives, this exhibit has potential to change over time and to tell another chapter of the story, making this collection an asset to the museum," Sheppard added.
When talking about giving school tours, Sheppard described sharing details and narration for getting the young people "revved up" so that they would be invested in history. "Elementary school children were much easier to engage with the history on display while older students expressed less interest. Young people would probably appreciate more interactive exhibits, and the museum has plans for including kiosks with computers. I just wore out before that could happen," she said. "That will be a job for the next person."
Sheppard also described the BCM's commitment to creating new exhibits with all of the artifacts in the archive room. "People are always giving things to the museum, and these have to be catalogued using the computer program for documenting donations and for maintaining a record of the museum's collections. It's a lot of work," she admitted.
When asked what she would miss most about her time with BCM, Sheppard named getting to meet people from all over the world with their diverse stories, experiences, and cultures. This preference may also explain her retirement plans.
"I've always wanted to travel and to see the world," Sheppard said. "I have a friend who lives in Hawaii, so that is definitely a destination. I've had to tell myself, 'go now.' Rather than just sit and think about things, we need to do things since none of us knows how much time we have."
Jude Sheppard was joined by the Blaine County Museum Board of Directors at her retirement party.
In addition to traveling to the places she has always wanted to visit, Sheppard plans to see her children and grandchildren more often. Although her daughter Jacy, who is married to Teddy Crowley, lives south of Chinook, her son Matt is a game warden in Idaho and her daughter Ali Bovingdon is Chief of Staff for Governor Steve Bullock in Helena.
"Now that I'm retired, I can do what I want, when I want," Sheppard stated. "I'm looking forward to that freedom and flexibility."
Despite her retirement, Sheppard is committed to the preservation of history. As a member of the Montana Historical Society Board of Trustees, she will remain connected to the promotion of educational programs and services so that Montanans might have an understanding of and an appreciation for their cultural heritage-past, present, and future.
