Tarleton’s Gordon Center Joins Blue Star Museums Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, May 25, 2022

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — The W.K. Gordon Museum and Research Center joins museums nationwide in the Blue Star Museums initiative, a program that provides free admission this summer to currently serving U.S. military personnel and their families.

The 2022 program runs now through Labor Day, Sept. 5. Find the list of participating museums at arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America.

“Museums educate and inspire, cause us to wonder and imagine, dream and remember,” said Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson, chair of the National Endowment for the Arts. “By participating in the Blue Star Museums program, the W.K. Gordon Museum and Research Center is offering military personnel and their families an opportunity to feel connected to the Thurber community and to explore the world through the power of arts, culture and design.”

Blue Star Museums include children’s museums, art, science and history museums, zoos, gardens, lighthouses and more, and are in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“Our military community looks forward to the Blue Star Museum program each year, and I am excited to celebrate the 2022 season along with them!” said Kathy Roth-Douquet, CEO of Blue Star Families. “Thank you, W.K. Gordon Museum and Research Center, for participating in this impactful program and offering military families the opportunity to enjoy the arts with you this summer.”

The free-admission program is available for those currently serving in the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force, members of the Reserves, National Guard, U.S. Public Health Commissioned Corps and NOAA Commissioned Corps, and up to five family members. Qualified members must show a Geneva Convention common access card (CAC), DD Form 1173 ID card (dependent ID), DD Form 1173-1 ID card or the Next Generation Uniformed Services (Real) ID card for entrance.

Follow #bluestarmuseums on Twitter @NEAarts and @BlueStarFamily.

The W.K. Gordon Museum and Research Center’s main gallery tells the story of Thurber (1886- 1940) in Erath County, now a ghost town but once a coal mining and brick making small city owned and operated by the Texas Pacific Coal and Oil Co. The center is at 65258 Interstate 20, Exit 36, in Mingus and open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and 1-4 p.m. Sundays.

More information is available at 254-968-1886, [email protected] or tarleton.edu/gordoncenter/#upcomingevents.

About the National Endowment for the Arts

Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency whose funding gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies and the philanthropic sector, the endowment celebrates the nation’s rich cultural heritage and promotes equal access to the arts in every community across America. Visit arts.gov or follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

About Blue Star Families

Blue Star Families, the nation’s largest grass-roots military family support organization, builds stronger communities through programs that address the needs of those who serve. Blue Star Families’ nationally recognized surveys and analysis give military families a voice that informs policymakers. It uses the power of its collective resources and cross-sector collaborations to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of members of military families. Visit bluestarfam.org.

A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of nearly 17,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. True to Tarleton’s values of excellence, integrity and respect, academic programs emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.
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