Back
in the ‘60s, the usually mellow group, The Association, went off in left field
and released a single where all the words ran together and no one knew what
they were saying, like,
“Anddoesshewanttosetthemfreeandletthemseerealityfromwhereshegothername.”
But
then came the chorus, “… and then
along comes Mary-eeee”, which was the only part people could understand.
So
bear with me here…
Three
years ago the board of the Sanderson Museum on Creek Road wrote a five- year strategic
plan to bring the 8-room history museum, founded by Andrew Wyeth in 1967, into
the 21st century and in line with standards set by the American Association of
Museums.
But
in the words of president Susan Minarchi, who like most of the museum’s board,
works full time, “With a board
comprised of working professionals, the man-hours we needed did not exist and
always seemed to exceed the time available.”
The
board’s executive committee was fast getting “board burn-out”, a term widely
recognized in the museum world of the Brandywine Valley.
Symptoms
of board burn-out include: storing museum files in your computer at work;
accessing home email accounts during office hours to communicate with board
members; staying up past midnight after a full day of work dealing with museum
business; or answering your phone at work, “Thank you for calling the Sanderson
Museum.”
And
then along comes Mary-eeee…
Mary
Hewes was born and raised in Bethany, Conn., the youngest of 9 children.
Graduating
from the University of Connecticut with a BS in Business Administration, Hewes
served as first vice president in executive compensation at MBNA.
But
after 14 years, Hewes left to spend more time with her two small children,
deciding to go back to work part time after they were both in school.
It
was at this juncture that Mary met Sue Minarchi at church, where upon Sue began
to talk to her about the Sanderson Museum needing a part-time museum director.
Mary,
like many other people in the Brandywine Valley, had never been in the
Sanderson Museum, but in her words, “had driven by it hundreds of times!”
Minarchi
finally got her into the museum where Hewes said, “I was amazed at the collection
and the story of the five friends who turned Chris’ collection into the museum
that it is today.”
She
was so amazed that Hewes was hired as the Sanderson’s first director in its 44-year
history.
According
to Charles E. Ulmann, the Sanderson’s curator, “Mary removed a lot of the
administrative duties I was handling in addition to my curatorial
responsibilities.”
“The
most important part of our job descriptions is ‘other duties as assigned’ ”,
Ulmann added, “She knows how to take those duties on. I love it. Mary knows how to run with those things
that need to get done.“
What
would Hewes like to see in the future?
“I
would like to increase the number of kids who visit the museum, whether it be
organizations like Girl Scouts or Cub Scouts or local school field trips. Children…would
find it fascinating”
And
how does she now feel about the museum she used to drive past hundreds of
times?
“This
museum really is a must see”, she said. “Every time I’m there I marvel at the
variety of artifacts and the uniqueness of the museum.”
Thanks
for coming along Mary.
Sally Denk Hoey, is a Gemini - one part music and one part history. She holds a masters degree cum laude from the School of Music at West Chester University. She taught 14 years in both public and private school. Her CD "Bard of the Brandywine" was critically received during her almost 30 years as a folk singer. She currently cantors masses at St Agnes Church in West Chester where she also performs with the select Motet Choir. A recognized historian, Sally serves as a judge-captain for the south-east Pennsylvania regionals of the National History Day Competition. She has served as president of the Brandywine Battlefield Park Associates as well as the Sanderson Museum in Chadds Ford where she now curates the violin collection. Sally re-enacted with the 43rd Regiment of Foot and the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment for 19 years where she interpreted the role of a campfollower at encampments in Valley Forge, Williamsburg, Va., Monmouth, N.J. and Lexington and Concord, Mass. Sally is married to her college classmate, Thomas Hoey, otherwise known as "Mr. Sousa.”
