CAP Historical Foundation Defunct

[RiverAux]

From Volunteer Now:

Historical Foundation's board moves assets, fundraising to CAP's History Program
October 12, 2012


NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS – Civil Air Patrol's Historical Foundation, established in 1997 to preserve CAP's history and promote its heritage, is transferring its assets and fundraising work to a similar CAP program.

The decision to move the program under CAP's History Program was approved by the organization's board of directors Oct. 3.

"Over time, the foundation's activities and the duties of CAP's national curator and national historian, as well as the organization's fundraising efforts, became redundant, making the move to dissolve the foundation a given," said CAP National Commander  Maj. Gen. Chuck Carr, adding that  "the move eliminates duplication in both areas."

The Historical Foundation's activities included raising money for the preservation and display of CAP's history, developing products and programs for member and public education nationwide, assisting with the restoration and exhibition of CAP aircraft and archiving and displaying historic artifacts, publications, photos and memorabilia.

All of these activities will continue in the CAP History Program and will be substantially assisted by CAP National Headquarters' new development directorate.

"Raising funds to showcase CAP's rich history and heritage is a priority," Carr said, "and the development directorate will play a leading role in ensuring we have  the financial backing needed to make this happen."

To donate artifacts and/or money to CAP's History Program, contact CAP's historian, Col. Charles Wiest. Donations will be placed in an account designated solely for the CAP History Program.

Well, can't say that I'm too excited to see this stuff move from one moribund program to another, but I suppose it can't hurt. 

[Eclipse]

But doesn't this at least mean that the exhibits and assets are now owned by CAP and not an unrelated organization?

[RiverAux]

Yes, but I'm not sure I trust CAP any more with this stuff than an un-related organization.  One of the reasons I've been campaigning for all CAP historical materials to go to a "real" museum and/or archives. 

[cpb16]

Realizing this is a stretch to happen, but CPB 16 has a real museum and could display and/or store properly, and make available to researchers, any items relating to CPB 16.   I'd even extend this to CPB21 items since they have no museum.  I do believe the Hist Org obtained a box of records from CPB 16 that I would love to get.

[RiverAux]

No offense, but small museums tend to go "out of business" since they survive on a little bit of money and often don't have the ability to properly store either documents or historical artifacts in such a way that they will survive into the future.  Heck, this is what this whole thread is about -- a national level organization focused on CAP history that apparently couldn't raise enough money to maintain its collection. 

[lordmonar]

So.....what/which museum would you like to see take on CAP's history?

Once you go big.....you loose all control over what gets exhibited and where it gets exhibited.

[RiverAux]

Frankly, I'm more interested in documents than exhibit items but my first choice would be to go into the AF system.  Failing that, I'd like to see documents go into a historical archive maintained by one of the top universities.  Any one would probably do just as well, but perhaps one in Alabama would make sense.  So long as the documents are properly cared for, indexed, and are available for use by historians I'd be happy.   

[Eclipse]

Scan them, shred them, and move on.

The paper has no value, the information is priceless and should be available for all to easily view.

[NCRblues]

Scan them, shred them, and move on.

The paper has no value, the information is priceless and should be available for all to easily view.

Does this apply to all historical documents? US Constitution? Declaration of Independence?

[RiverAux]

Scan them, shred them, and move on.

The paper has no value, the information is priceless and should be available for all to easily view.

Well, considering that electronic media storage forms change quickly (when you're thinking on a scale of hundreds of years), I tend to be a little old school about such things.  And, we're still left with the problem of finding someone who will, in perpetuity, keep them.   

[MisterCD]

As someone who works with archival materials on an almost daily basis and researches/writes for a living, I'll refrain from commenting on many of the postings.  I will just add that a permanent, public repository for the CAP records can (should/will) be found in the coming year and that digitization is a an avenue worth traveling.  Changing regulations to encourage and or require digitization of records for submission to the unit historian(s) and then for public access is pertinent, but will not ensure their long-term preservation.  Digital remains somewhat ephemeral, especially in consideration of how long paper records have been in use.   

[Eclipse]

Scan them, shred them, and move on.

The paper has no value, the information is priceless and should be available for all to easily view.

Does this apply to all historical documents? US Constitution? Declaration of Independence?

I would hardly compare old CAP records to those documents, however one thing it certain, it will all be dust
at some point.

Scan them, shred them, and move on.

The paper has no value, the information is priceless and should be available for all to easily view.

Well, considering that electronic media storage forms change quickly (when you're thinking on a scale of hundreds of years), I tend to be a little old school about such things.  And, we're still left with the problem of finding someone who will, in perpetuity, keep them.

That's the great thing about digital storage, every decade or so, as things change, you just upconvert everything "important" - it's not
like you can re-carve the Rosetta Stone.  Once it's gone, it's gone, but the information on it can literally live forever (or whatever "forever" eventually winds up meaning).

[Майор Хаткевич]

There's that show...Life after Humans or something, where all humans simply disappear one day. The US constitution only lasts a couple hundred years in its protective case without human support.

[cpb16]

No offense, but small museums tend to go "out of business" since they survive on a little bit of money and often don't have the ability to properly store either documents or historical artifacts in such a way that they will survive into the future.  Heck, this is what this whole thread is about -- a national level organization focused on CAP history that apparently couldn't raise enough money to maintain its collection.

No offense, but been going for 20 years, which seems to be quite a bit longer than than the CAP efforts to publically display history, official or otherwise.  What I have is cataloged, well stored and cared for, and my backup is a state historical center a couple miles away .... I have exactly the funding I want and need ....