National Churchill Museum to host meet-and-greets

September 2, 2016 at 8:00 a.m. | Updated September 3, 2016 at 6:51 a.m.

by Jenny Gray

On Thursday, the Mid-Missouri Friends of the National Churchill Museum will host a 5-7 p.m. event at the Fulton Country Club. Tim Riley, director and chief curator at the National Churchill Museum, will talk about his vision for the museum and the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, and about upcoming events.
"It is a venerable and loyal group that helps to promote NCM and helps to raise funds for the museum," Riley said of the Friends group. "That event will focus on membership."
The museum also welcomes back Mandy Plybon, director of external affairs and chief educator.
"Mandy - she started at the the museum at her current capacity on Aug. 1," Riley said. "She was in another position for two years, and I coaxed her back. She really is terrific and we're glad to have her."
At this event, Plybon also will give an overview of her new position and goals for the museum's current fiscal year. All are welcome to this event which will include appetizers and other refreshments. The country club is at 701 E. 10th St.
On Sept. 10, the museum will host a Director's Afternoon Tea, Riley said. Refreshments will be provided by the Friends starting at 2 p.m. From 2:30-3 p.m., Riley will lead a discussion about the museum's current and future programming, and from 3-4 p.m., there will be a behind-the-scenes look at new acquisitions to the museum's collection. Reservations to this event can be made by calling 573-592-6242 or emailing [email protected].
The National Churchill Museum is on the campus of Westminster College, at 501 Westminster Ave. Displays commemorate the life of Churchill, Britain's prime minister during World War II who gave his famous Iron Curtain Speech at the college 70 years ago this year. A current exhibition, "The Prime Minister, The President and The General" highlights this speech and will be on display until Oct. 1. A new exhibition will begin Oct. 14, "Sinews of Peace: The Power of Prose."
Above the museum is the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, which was designed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1677 in its original location in London after a great fire. The church was again left in ruins post World War II, but was rescued by Westminster College and rebuilt in Fulton in the 1960s.