When running any type of business, there are often people whose efforts go unnoticed, but are appreciated nonetheless. As a volunteer at the Dearborn Historical Museum for a year, John Polzin has been handling many of these kinds of tasks.
Whether it’s cleaning, handy-work, or just being good company, John is always eager to help with anything the museum needs.
After retiring just over two years ago, John and his wife were looking for local events to attend with their new found free time. When they heard about a presentation at the Dearborn Historical Museum, they attended and he was hooked.
“The types of presentations offered were so diverse and different”, John said.
Eventually, when the museum’s budget was cut, John decided to volunteer. He wanted to do whatever he could to help out. An added bonus is that John, not from Dearborn originally, gets to learn about the history of Dearborn.
While supporting his goal of life-long learning, he has also been able to work with “one of the greatest groups of people”.
“The interaction with the staff and volunteers is wonderful. Everyone is so helpful and you learn something new every day” John explains.
Many of the volunteers and employees have been involved with the museum for over thirty years and love to share their knowledge with anyone willing to learn.
John now also helps to give tours at the Commandant’s Quarters and McFadden-Ross House. He says that his absolute favorite part of his experience is the rich history of the local community.
“There are people out there just like me that didn’t know what available over here. There is so much history available.”
With the changes in the museum within the past few years, John has high hopes for the future.
“With enough volunteers, getting the houses open more often and getting more exposure [is most important]”.
John, just like the rest of the volunteers are all here for the same reason—to make the museum better.
Keep a lookout for John and the other volunteers are the Dearborn Historical Museum Tuesday-Friday 9am-5pm.
Dearborn Historical Museum 