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Courtney Tollison
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GREENVILLE, S.C.—An exhibit at the Upcountry History Museum in Greenville curated by Furman University history professor Courtney Tollison has received the 2010 Award of Excellence from the Southeastern Museums Conference.
The exhibit, “Weaving Our Survival: Upcountry Stories of WWII,” was put together by Tollison, who is also the museum’s historian, and 15 Furman history majors.
Tollison and her team created the exhibit through research on the economic, demographic and cultural changes to the Upcountry triggered by World War II. Tollison’s team gathered artifacts, photographs, text and oral histories to highlight contributions to the war effort by Upcountry residents both militarily and on the home front.
The Furman alumni and students who collaborated on the exhibit are Lauren Brearley (Greer), Virginia Cain (Union, Ky.), May Lauren Dirksen (Evans, Ga.); Katherine Ely (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Joe Heritage (Kettering, Ohio), John Holman (Greenwood), Tanner Ivie (Ashburn, Ga.), Kurt Linderer (Naples, Fla.), Jillian Mangum (Shelby), Michael McPhee (Charlotte, NC), Erin Mellinger (Dallas, Tex.), Ansley Quiros (Nashville, Tenn.), Tabitha Samuel (Columbia), Derek Snook (Biltmore Lake, N.C.), and Kate Spigner (Greenville).
Tollison and museum director, Dawn Hammatt accepted the award during the SEMC Annual Meeting in Baton Rouge, La., in October.
“We are thrilled with this honor. It is an affirmation of our efforts to present and preserve local history in interesting and innovative ways,” Tollison said.
For more information contact Courtney Tollison at 864-467-3100 (ext. 116) or visit the Upcountry History Museum website.