Meet Tom our Curator of History

Future Curator of History Tom Lonnberg, far right, at the Evansville Museum in 1970. Others, left to right, are his brother Bill, cousin Carol, grandma Winnie and mother Evelynne.

How does one end up being the curator of history at the Evansville Museum? What led me down this path of interpreting objects, people and events? What follows is the story, or at least the printable parts, that resulted in my becoming the first and, to this point, only curator of history of the Evansville Museum.

Since my early days, I have had an interest in history and facts. Though my family was not wealthy in terms of finances, learning and the acquisition of knowledge were strongly encouraged. Both my parents grew up during the Great Depression and persevered to work their ways through college—my dad earning two masters and my mother an advanced degree in education. They understood the value of learning. As such, I was fortunate that our house contained many books, including my favorites which were two sets of encyclopedias. As I began to explore these treasure troves of information, first the old set in our unfinished basement and then the Britannica in our living room, I found myself gravitating toward reading about the past. I was fascinated by lots of areas of history, but especially spent time absorbing the two world wars.

Curator of History Tom Lonnberg early in his career at the Evansville Museum.

While on trips, we also visited museums and this further nurtured my learning and expanded my interests, including my mother spending much patient time with me on a locomotive at the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, Kansas. Later, after my father became a professor of library science at Indiana State University-Evansville or ISUE (today’s University of Southern Indiana) and we moved to Evansville, Sunday afternoons could find us visiting the Evansville Museum and the opportunity to see the wonders it held, including another fascinating train.

Through high school and into college, I retained a steady interest in history if not a clear idea of what my professional career would entail. As I entered undergraduate studies at ISUE, I was still uncertain about my future, but as a result of some great teaching and sound guidance (thanks Dr. Bigham, Dr. Pitzer and Dr. Scavone), I set about majoring in history and earned my undergraduate degree before heading to graduate school at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Though my initial goal in earning an advanced degree was not focused on public history, a couple of internships at the William Hammond Mathers Museum opened my eyes to new possibilities. After receiving my Master of Arts and following a few more twists in the road, I began applying for jobs at museums and historical organizations across the country. This process included receiving a very nice letter from John W. Streetman III, executive director of the Evansville Museum, sharing that they had no positions available at the time, but would keep my resume on file. Many months later, as I spent my days mowing lawns for a living, I was excited to hear back from John Streetman with the news that the Museum was looking to hire someone in the history area and he invited me for an interview. As they say, the rest is history as John and Mary Bower, then curator of collections and now executive director, took a chance on guy who liked sitting on trains. On May 16, 1988, my story began at the Evansville Museum—a story that happily has more chapters to be written.

Thomas R. Lonnberg

Curator of History