Museums run on more than exhibits and artifacts. They run on the people who show up, ask good questions, and take on the unglamorous work that keeps a collection alive. Each year the Wright Museum of World War II is fortunate to welcome interns who do exactly that. This year we had the privilege of having three of them.
Luke Anastasiades, Jack Ockerman, and Matthew Sedutto each brough something different to the museum. All three have helped the museum tremendously and have bright futures ahead of them. Before the season officially closes, we want to introduce them and say thank you!
Luke Anastasiades
Luke came to the Wright Museum with a B.A. in American studies and a minor in Greek from Saint Anselm College, followed by an M.A. in museum studies from the University of Oklahoma’s College of Professional and Continuing Studies. His path to us ran through the New Hampshire Institute of Politics and Political Library and the USS Albacore museum in Portsmouth. His love of history goes back further still, to a childhood fascination with the American Revolution.
At the Museum, Luke has been drawn to the way the Museum connects the home front to the battle front and what that connection reveals about the economy that carried the United States through a two-front war. He also appreciates the collection itself, from the range of small arms to the vehicles that still run today. His favorite work, though, has been research. Luke’s project follows one man’s service through North Africa, piecing the story together “almost like an investigator,” as he puts it.
Away from the Museum, Luke grew up traveling frequently to Greece to visit family. Those trips took him to the Acropolis, the Cycladic island of Paros, and museums across Athens, including the Acropolis Museum and the Athenian War Museum.
Luke’s quiet dedication speaks to his commitment to history and the preservation of the stories of the Greatest Generation. We are proud of what he has accomplished during his internship and look forward to more progress with his ongoing project.
Jack Ockerman
Jack joined us for the spring semester while pursuing his M.A. in history with a concentration in museum studies at the University of New Hampshire. He arrived curious about how a small museum actually operates day to day, and he left having become part of the operation.
Ask Jack what he valued most and he starts with the people. He points to the staff and volunteers and to feeling like a member of a genuinely good team rather than just a visitor passing through. That is high praise, and it says as much about Jack as it does about the team here. He also had a soft spot for the museum’s World War II vehicle collection, which puts him in good company.
Jack grew up on an island in Washington’s Puget Sound, and in his free time he flies World War II aircraft in flight simulators, which may explain why the vehicle side of our collection held his attention. He has since moved on to a full-time summer internship at Canterbury Shaker Village in Canterbury, New Hampshire and continued studies at UNH. We are glad the Wright Museum was part of his path, and we expect to hear good things. Whenever he needs a World War II vehicle fix, we will be happy to welcome him back.
Matthew Sedutto
Matthew is a Norwich University cadet and honors student from Concord, New Hampshire, studying history with a minor in political science. He holds the rank of Cadet Sergeant Major in the Norwich Corps of Cadets and serves as Regimental Operations Non-Commissioned Officer. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in 2022 and now serves as president of the Norwich Scouting Association.
Matthew’s internship was deliberately broad. He rotated through archiving, curating, education, and time on the floor as a docent, gathering experience across the disciplines a museum depends on. He closed out his time with us with a project drawn from his own history. Matthew updated one of the Museum’s displays and delivered an August talk titled “Scouting in World War II,” tracking the history of Scouting movement through the war years.
Matthew also holds a title we had not encountered before: Master Carillonneur of the Norwich Carillon Guild. He plays the bells housed in chapels and campus towers, and he teaches students who want to learn the instrument. It is a fitting skill for someone drawn to the parts of history that most people walk past without noticing. Matthew was a great assest to the museum this summer and we wish him the best of luck in the year ahead!
Our Thanks
Interns are not just an extra set of hands. They are colleagues who happen to be early in their careers, and the good ones change how a museum thinks about its own collection. Luke, Jack, and Matthew each did that this year, whether by digging through service records, welcoming visitors through the front door, or reframing a display so a new generation sees itself in history.
To all three – thank you for being a part of the Wright Museum’s story!
