Westminster College and the National Churchill museum received a significant donation, which the institutions are hoping will help the museum better achieve its goals. Monroe E. Trout and his wife Sandra from Appleton, Wisconsin created a professorship of Churchill studies.
Westminster President George B. Forsythe announced the donation and professorship, which he said will help "raise the profile" of the museum, after the Enid and R. Crosby Kemper Lecture Sunday.
"Their significant gift will move us closer to that direction," Forsythe said.
Forsythe said the college's hope is for the professorship to aid the museum in its efforts to become more well known both nationally and internationally - a goal of the museum's new executive director Jim Williams, a 1986 Westminster graduate.
Williams was appointed to the position in the fall. Many of his visions for the museum center around educating others from all over the country on Winston Churchill's legacy.
"There are so many people out there who admire - even love - Winston Churchill and we need to find ways to connect with them," Williams told the Fulton Sun in December after his appointment as director.
Williams will hold the first professorship of Churchill studies. Forsythe said the professorship will give Williams resources needed for professional development and research.
"Resources are now available to fund professional development opportunities for Jim so he can research and publish in the most prestigious scholarly journals and present at the most prominent Churchill events in the world," Forsythe said Sunday after the Kemper Lecture.
Williams told the Fulton Sun in December that educational programming is an important part of his vision for the museum. He wants the reach more people and one day hopes to develop curriculum for teachers to use. Williams plans to travel across the country to give Churchill talks, as the previous director did.
Monroe and Sandra Trout, according to a Westminster press release, are excited to see some traveling exhibits make their way to the museum, a goal their endowment will make possible.
"They have a love for Churchill and all things Churchillian, and they along with us want to see the life and legacy of Sir Winston Churchill carried on for future generations," Forsythe said Sunday.
Forsythe thanked the Trouts on Sunday for their generosity and presented Williams with a certificate to establish the Sandra L. and Monroe E. Trout Professorship of Churchill Studies.
"Exciting times lie ahead for the National Churchill Museum," Forsythe said Sunday.