The Cook County Historical Society is nominating Pat Zankman (left) for a national award for her leadership in the field of historical preservation. With her is Alta McQuatters, who served as the board president when Zankman was director of the Cook County Historical Society Museum.
After over 15 years as director of the Cook County Historical Society Museum, Pat Zankman of Grand Marais has paid her dues. Remunerated for only 10 hours a week but giving a lot more, Zankman accomplished a great deal between 1995 and February 2011 when she retired from the job. A lot of local history might have been lost had she not captured and preserved it.
To recognize her service to the community, Zankman has been nominated for a Leadership in History Award of Merit for individual achievement from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH). The association began in 1904 as the Conference of State and Local Historical Societies under the wing of the American Historical Association and went on its own with its new name in 1940.
When Zankman started as director, the museum had no office and no computer. “Files and photographs were in several locations, none of which was secure, and none at the museum,” Pat wrote in a memo to Board of Trustees member Duane Ege. Zankman collected the files and photographs and consolidated them into a file system. She also started getting information on computer. The database now has over 15,000 photographs, 4,000 obituaries, and 400 oral histories.
The Cook County Historical Society received a grant from the First and Second Thrift store for $1,281 thanks to the volunteer work of Pat Zankman and Nancy Dalbec. Both women have been working for the thrift store, which in turn donates its proceeds to Cook County’s many local nonprofits. This year’s grant to the historical society will go toward shelving and landscaping at the museum. The First and Second Thrift Store gave out over $41,000 in awards this year. Volunteer Nancy Dalbec is pictured here with the computer that was purchased with previous grant money. The computer’s “name” is Nancy!
Zankman gives a lot of credit to the many volunteers who have helped the museum become what it is today. “Displays had not been refreshed or changed for over 10 years,” Zankman wrote. “With the assistance of Sharon Eliasen and others, many displays were changed and others updated.
“A change was made to create a system of volunteers—[at] Jim Mahle’s suggestion and direction—which has worked.” This allowed museum hours to expand, increasing visits and interest in the society. Zankman credited Bob Pye for brightening the interior with new paint and Sharron McCann for suggesting the fishcake dinner, a successful annual fundraiser.
Under Zankman’s direction, several books have been published or republished and a yearly membership drive was started. She was able to obtain many grants allowing major projects to take place: the acquisition and rehabbing of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Mission Church, continuation of oral history-taking, the return and restoration of the historic boat Neegee to Grand Marais, a replica of a circa-1930 fish house on the harbor near the Neegee, the Passport Program which introduces elementary students to historical places throughout the county, major repairs to the Light Keeper’s House (which houses the museum) and an addition in keeping with requirements of the National Register of Historic Places, and the newest display on the Civilian Conservation Corps camps in Cook County.
Another of Zankman’s initiatives is the Small Talks program, which brings oral history straight to the community from people who lived it. The program has been successful, attracting up to 75 people at a time. It is busier in the winter than in the summer, with a lot of locals attending the talks. Zankman sees the museum taking a bigger and bigger place in the life of the community.
Upon Zankman’s retirement, the county board increased its annual support to the society, enabling it to hire Carrie McHugh full-time. With volunteers getting older, Zankman is happy to see McHugh paid for more hours, which she believes will enable her to recruit more volunteers. In that vein, locals are invited to come in and try to identify people—from whatever eras they are most familiar with—in old photos.
Nominating Zankman for the American Association for State and Local History award was an idea someone from the Minnesota Historical Society suggested to Duane Ege when he shared some of Zankman’s accomplishments. Ege is pursuing the nomination with the blessing of the Cook County Historical Society board. Awards will be announced next July.
Zankman holds a bachelor of arts degree from Macalester College and a master of arts degree from the University of Connecticut. She continues to take her place in Cook County history as a volunteer at the Cook County Historical Society Museum.
“Since I retired, I’ve only been doing the fun stuff,” Zankman said. “You can say no very easily when you’re retired.” We’ll see about that.
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