2008 Woodie Awards
Alum honors veterans, preserves their stories
By Chelsea Cox
Issue date: 3/27/08 Section: Culture
The Southeast Veterans Museum is scheduled to begin its season on April 1, according to Tony Dimaiolo, a sophomore from Memphis and assistant director of the museum.
Chattanooga alum Louis Varnell, museum director, started the museum to commemorate his father's involvement in World War II.
"I started this for my dad," Varnell said. "I started collecting things and it seemed like no one wanted to see it."
According to Varnell, the museum has artifacts from as early as World War I, with many of them being found at yard sales.
"People don't know what to do with these things or they don't know someone would appreciate them," Dimaiolo said. "If you don't know what to do with it, we'll be happy to take it and tell people the story about it."
"The museum features an exhibit on Vietnam," Varnell said.
"The Vietnam exhibit was something we put in recently," Varnell said. "There isn't another one in town."
"We've gotten a lot of stuff from family members of soldiers," Varnell added. "Some moms gave us telegrams telling them their sons were killed in the war."
"Vietnam being so unpopular, a lot of people don't remember the people who fought. We try to do a little of everything, tell everyone's story," Varnell said.
Both Dimaiolo and Varnell visit schools to talk to children about military history.
"We have all the little, unusual stuff that kids aren't going to learn out of a history book," Dimaiolo said.
"We wanted to bring some of the museum with us," Dimaiolo added. "We played around with the idea of a bus and we happened to find one for sale. A local company repainted the bus for us free of charge. We call it the Battle Bus."
Dimaiolo said the Battle Bus will be a changing exhibit.
"Kids get into it because it's not like teachers giving assignments out of books," Dimaiolo said. "We don't just give them dates, we show them things and tell them stories."
Dimaiolo said the exhibit has received a positive response.
Chattanooga alum Louis Varnell, museum director, started the museum to commemorate his father's involvement in World War II.
"I started this for my dad," Varnell said. "I started collecting things and it seemed like no one wanted to see it."
According to Varnell, the museum has artifacts from as early as World War I, with many of them being found at yard sales.
"People don't know what to do with these things or they don't know someone would appreciate them," Dimaiolo said. "If you don't know what to do with it, we'll be happy to take it and tell people the story about it."
"The museum features an exhibit on Vietnam," Varnell said.
"The Vietnam exhibit was something we put in recently," Varnell said. "There isn't another one in town."
"We've gotten a lot of stuff from family members of soldiers," Varnell added. "Some moms gave us telegrams telling them their sons were killed in the war."
"Vietnam being so unpopular, a lot of people don't remember the people who fought. We try to do a little of everything, tell everyone's story," Varnell said.
Both Dimaiolo and Varnell visit schools to talk to children about military history.
"We have all the little, unusual stuff that kids aren't going to learn out of a history book," Dimaiolo said.
"We wanted to bring some of the museum with us," Dimaiolo added. "We played around with the idea of a bus and we happened to find one for sale. A local company repainted the bus for us free of charge. We call it the Battle Bus."
Dimaiolo said the Battle Bus will be a changing exhibit.
"Kids get into it because it's not like teachers giving assignments out of books," Dimaiolo said. "We don't just give them dates, we show them things and tell them stories."
Dimaiolo said the exhibit has received a positive response.
