East Bay, RI
East Bay Newspapers
Tuesday, November 1, 2005
Sorting through Westport's ancient treasures
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Jennifer O'Neill, recently appointed executive director of the Westport Historical Society, has history in her genes. Jenny, as she prefers to be called, grew up in a family of historians. Her father was a history professor and her mother was involved in history research. Ms. O'Neill spent the first 10 years of her life in Canberra, the capital of Australia, then moved to the United Kingdom with her family.
She pursued her interest in history, receiving a bachelor's degree in ancient and modern history from Oxford University and a master's degree in museum studies from the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. Realizing that there were more opportunities outside the UK, Ms. O'Neill embarked to the United States seven years ago. She worked at internships at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. and at the Kendall Whaling Museum in Sharon, Mass. (now part of the New Bedford Whaling Museum). During her stay at the Kendall Museum in Sharon, she met and married Michael Dyer, the librarian at the Kendall. They've lived in Fairhaven for the past three years.
FAMILY HISTORY: "I grew up in a family of historians. My father was a history professor and my mother was involved in historical research so I grew up in an environment in which history was always of interest."
COMING TO U.S.: "My master's degree in museum studies gave me theoretical background for working in museums but I was looking for hands-on experience and American museums offer more opportunities for internships than those in the UK."
MIT EXPERIENCE: "For the past six years I was curatorial assistant at the MIT Museum in Cambridge, Mass. I worked with a maritime collection and with a very large archive of photos and documents concerned with MIT and its development."
CONSULTING: "For the past two years, I also worked as a consultant to the Sippican Historical Society in Marion. When I arrived, the collection was in disarray; no one knew what was in it. I found it rewarding to see the difference I made by cataloging their collection."
WHY WESTPORT HISTORICAL SOCIETY: "First of all, I wanted to work in a local community. From a professional viewpoint, it's exciting to come to a place where the collection is unknown and undiscovered. What are the gems that we're going to find? What are the stories behind the objects? The challenge is to gain physical control over the collection, to catalog it so we know what we have. I was pleased to see that was what the board was looking for and that they needed someone with a professional background in museums to show them the way."
CHALLENGES: "I'd love to broaden the membership. We can offer more diverse programs, slightly different exhibits, find different ways to do outreach, perhaps set little satellite exhibits here and there. I want to understand the community better so I can see how to make this society a presence in town and I want to use the collection to help interpret Westport's history."
NEW ENVIRONMENT: "It's wonderful to be able to work in this beautiful region which is unique in that it still has rural areas, countryside which has disappeared in many other areas, It's a big change for me from working in a concrete, urban MIT setting, to come to the tranquility of Westport."
OTHER INTERESTS: "I love to travel and go home to Australia once a year to visit my family in Canberra. I'd love to go back and visit the UK. I'm a novice at gardening and have a little kitchen garden."
FAVORITE WESTPORT SPOTS: "Mike and I are nature lovers. Since I'm the wife of a fisherman, we spend lots of time around the water. Two of our regular beats are Horseneck Beach and Allens Pond. That combines beautiful surroundings, relaxation, exercise and fish!"
By Paul Tamburello
http://www.eastbayri.com/story/310273890718264.php
Copyright © 2003, The East Bay Newspapers
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