Open since May 1, Wright Museum of WWII in Wolfeboro is “wowing” visitors upon first entering the building with a lobby exhibit that took months to complete.
“People are blown away at the sheer size of the lobby exhibit, which is about 25 by 16 feet,” museum Executive Director Mike Culver said.
Commemorating the 1944 Battle of the Bulge, the exhibit, featuring a winter battle scene photograph and soldier-dressed mannequin figures,is moving some visitors to tears, which is the case with Meredith, NH resident Carroll Levey.
“What I saw were so many ordinary men – some no more than boys really – plucked from ordinary lives to do extraordinary things for their country, which they loved and honored,” she said. “I get the same feeling from some of my dad’s photos. My dad served in the Japanese theater of WWII.”
In response to her own visceral reaction to the exhibit, Levey said she and husband Marc decided to make a financial contribution and sponsor it for the 2019 season.
“Marc and I overheard someone mention Pearl Harbor to a young man in his mid twenties, and his response was, ‘What’s that?’” she said.
She said it is their belief that the exhibit and Wright Museum exist in part to ensure “no one ever responds that way again” to a Pearl Harbor reference.
“We believe so strongly in the Wright Museum’s mission to preserve that critical time in our history,” she added.
For Culver, that sort of emotional reaction underscores the importance and relevance of Wright Museum’s mission.
“WWII was a time period in human history that will forever shape American culture,” he said. “The Wright sheds light not just on the battle front, but the home front. We peel back the layers of the war and the culture around it. I’m touched at Carroll and Marc’s support and generosity.”
