A board candidate's dream for the Heritage Museum

Letter to the Editor:

My name is Robert Viergutz and I am running for the open seat on the Heritage Museum Board of Directors. I was raised in western Montana and I have made Libby my forever home. I am addicted to the rich history that Libby has, full of the real American Dream.

One of my goals is to work with the community to engage our younger population in seeing the true majesty that is our history. Without them, our heritage will be lost. We need to excite our young people about real “off the screen” history, the artifacts that their grandfather’s grandfather used to cut timber and the blood, sweat and tears shed to give them the lifestyles they enjoy today.

It is also my goal to get a record number of volunteers, involving the community and moving them to get their hands dirty with us as we move forward on exciting projects. It is in this effort that we will have generations upon generations coming back to Libby proudly announcing, “My mom or dad helped build that.”

I want to work for you. As a board member, I will take all of your suggestions to the board for consideration. I have the utmost respect for the museum and the public which we serve.

It was the mission and dream of Roy Porter that the history of Libby was to be shared with all those who sought to learn about it. Mr. Porter dreamed of a living museum, so much so that he started it in his home and welcomed friends and strangers alike in to see his collections.

It is my dream that no trip to the Heritage Museum will ever be like another. The history of this wonderful area has grown and changed, and the beautiful thing about a living museum is that you will never find yourself saying, “been there, done that.”

Your time is valuable and I want to extend a thank you for taking the time to consider me for this seat. I would appreciate your vote. I look forward to members and the people who have yet to join our museum. Let’s make 2015 a banner year full of new adventures, hard work and getting back to our roots where the community came together to build a place to not only preserve our history, but to enjoy it as well.

— Robert Viergutz III, Libby