by Charlene Frary
December 20, 2013
Wow. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been flexing my creative muscle for more than 2 years at the Framingham History Center!
For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the “face” behind the FHC’s Facebook page, and part of the program team at the Framingham History Center. While I’ve had a 25+ year love affair with the FHC that has involved a number of volunteer projects large and small over those years, I have for the past 2 years or so invested 20 paid hours or more per week working on membership, annual appeal, donor cultivation, a daunting constituency database switch, fundraisers, website, and my favorite – PROGRAMS: childrens’ programming, living history programming, roundtables, and academic presentations. I’m gratified with the tangible proof of my work; we’ve grown from under 250 Facebook fans to over 500. We have more than 125 new members. We’ve introduced a summer childrens’ series. Our programs draw larger audiences and garner more significant attention. And through all of it, the most rewarded beneficiary has been me.
What I’ve loved most about working at the FHC, aside from the group of caring staff and volunteers, is that I’ve honestly learned something new from something old every single day. I have a much greater appreciation for Framingham’s 20th century transformation. When you understand where a town comes from, it’s easier to understand and perhaps help have an impact on where it is going. (As a Framingham native, I’ll always consider Framingham my hometown even though I live in an adjacent community.) Looking more inward, I’ve been inspired by those women who have lived here before me, most particularly Mary Ware Dennett, whose story is one that I’ll never forget and one that I think every divorced woman and single mother could benefit from hearing. The wealth of intriguing material that springs from our collection is seemingly endless, with something of interest for everyone. I hope that if nothing else, I’ve encouraged others to dig in a bit and embark on their own path of discovery here at the FHC.
So as I leave, returning fully to my real estate profession and growing next generation of family, I’ll not go so far afield. I look forward to indulging my passion for Framingham’s diverse housing and architectural appeal by chairing the 13th Annual Framingham House Tour in a volunteer position, and I’ll look forwarding to joining other volunteers on the FHC’s Program Committee. Above all, I look forward to all of the fascinating stories I’ve yet to hear, the artifacts I’ve yet to see, and the similarly enthusiastic folk I’ve yet to meet at the Framingham History Center.