Michelle Donahoe is the executive director of the Sycamore History Museum, located at 1730 N. Main St., Sycamore. She said she first became interested in history as a child from family vacations that usually centered around historical sites.

"I got if from my father," she said, adding that none of her other siblings shares her passion for the past.

A native of Morton Grove,    Donahoe got both undergraduate and master's degrees in history and public history from Loyola University in Chicago.

In one of her first jobs, Donahoe was working at the Art Institute of Chicago, during the Monet exhibit which she was able to sneak into now and then "without having to wait in line." She has also worked at the Wheaton History Center and the Geneva History Center. While in Geneva, she read an article by Dan Gustafson about the formation of the Sycamore History Museum in 1999. After serving as a volunteer and then a member of the board, she was hired as executive director in 2005, making her the museum's first – and only – paid employee.

Donoahoe, who moved to Sycamore in 1999, credits her husband, Jeff, as being "very supportive of my work at the museum." She also gets support from their three sons, including 8-year old Drew and 6-year old Will, who put in many hours at the museum. Donahoe said she is looking forward to the day when both of them, along with her youngest – Joe, 1 – can become junior docents.

Both the museum's Junior Docent program and its previous exhibit, "Heartbeat of a Community – Downtown Sycamore" won awards for merit and excellence respectively from the Illinois Association of Museums last month.

Despite a myriad of duties, Donahue was able to spend a few minutes with MidWeek reporter Doug Oleson recently discussing the museum, as well as her background.

MidWeek: Is there any particular era of history you like?

Michelle Donahoe: I really enjoy local history. I love being able to make connections between a national story and something that happened within the local community. For example, when people talk about the Underground Railroad, it is fun to say "Did you know there were stops in DeKalb County, and in Sycamore?" Most people are surprised and excited to know that such interesting things happened in their town.

MW: I know it's a lot, but what are your duties here?

MD: Working at a small history museum, my duties involve a little bit of everything.

1) Fund raising: I help organize fund raisers like the "Pride of Sycamore High," and the Civil War talks. I also work closely with the board to raise money, right now we are working on our annual giving campaign. We are a private nonprofit organization, so we are dependent on the generosity of our community for support. I also write grants to help fund special projects.

2) Exhibits: I work with a great exhibit committee. We mount a new exhibit each year. This October we opened, "Why Sycamore Works," which explores the story of the who, what, where, and how of Sycamore's manufacturing industry. The work of this committee has been recognized the last three years with awards of excellence or superior achievement from the Illinois Association of Museums.

3) Programs: I help plan a wide variety of programs for our visitors: children (Garden Story times), students (field trips and in-class visits), families (Fall Festival), adults (Brown Bag Lunches, continuing education classes), service groups (talks about the museum) and the general public (holiday open house, summer concerts)

4) Collections: I  oversee with the volunteers who accept items in the collection and determine where the materials will be stored.

5) Marketing: I spend time writing the museum newsletter, updating our website and Facebook page, and sending out emails. I also prepare press releases, flyers and posters for upcoming events.

6) Volunteers: I supervise over 150 volunteers throughout the year. They range from Girl Scouts who help in our garden, to docents who give tours, to NIU students researching exhibit topics, to people helping clean the buildings and maintain our property. This group is the backbone of the Sycamore History Museum. Without the volunteers there would be no museum.

MW: Do you think that having young children of your own helps you decide what kids of their age might like in an exhibit?

MD: Yes. Having some great teacher and grandparent  volunteers also is very helpful. We are blessed to have many creative people who contribute to the creation and development of this interactive space. We all agree that some part of each exhibit has to be dedicated for this audience so they can learn a love of history at a young age.

MW: Why do you think it's important for young people to know about history?

MD: It builds pride and helps them make a connection to where they live. Many communities are very similar to each other, but when you learn about your local history you can come to understand what makes where you live special. When going on walking tours, the students genuinely appreciate going by buildings and streets that the early pioneers would have seen over 100 years ago. Then, they go home and share this information with their family.
 
Long term, I hope that having some knowledge about local history will lead young people to become adults who are concerned about the past and preservation.
 
MW: How long does it take to put an exhibit together?

MD: It takes six to seven months. Once we get an idea, we have to do a lot of research - that's the easy part - and then we have to collect the artifacts. You have to have a good idea and the items in the collection to support that idea. We can't just put panels on the wall because that's boring. We do rotate some items throughout the year. Each exhibit will run for a year.

With every exhibit, we have fourth graders interview people for it. We want to get the stories of ordinary people in it. It also gets the youth excited about history.

MW: Why fourth graders?

MD: The fourth graders are usually studying Illinois history so it ties in. The teachers have really been supportive of it because they are giving up class time.

MW: The exhibits I've seen are always well done.

MD: We have a graphic artist, Jonathon Strube, who downloads all the graphic arts work. So now our exhibits look so professional.

MW: Anything you'd like people to know about the museum?

MD: I would just encourage people to come out to see our exhibit, "Why Sycamore Works." Many of our visitors are pleasantly surprised when they come to see the display. The research, displays and graphic design are very professional and engaging. You don't have to go far to have a wonderful museum experience.
 
We are also starting our annual giving campaign. If anyone would like to make an end of the year tax deductible donation, it would be greatly appreciated! Gifts can be mailed to the Sycamore History Museum, P.O. Box 502, Sycamore, IL 60178. For more information about the museum visit sycamorehistory.org or call 815-895-5762.

MW: Do you have any goals for the museum?

MD: Some goals include increasing our membership, expanding our presence with social media like Facebook and Twitter, turning the garage into a year-round program space, and continuing to build upon and establish new relationships with our donors and sponsors.
 
MW: Now, if I understand this right, you're the only paid employee here?

MD: Yes.

MW: Are you full-time or part-time?

MD: I'm contracted for 15 hours a week. Sometimes I work more than that. (Laughs.) So I volunteer a lot of my time like everyone else, but I enjoy it so it's worth it.