Philip McFarland, Roanoke Valley Community Volunteer of the Year for 2009
The Council of Community Services' Volunteer Roanoke Valley program has recognized Museum volunteer Philip McFarland as its 2009 Individual Volunteer of the Year. 

 

Phil is a man of many talents which he shares generously with the Virginia Museum of Transportation. In addition to taking care of all building maintenance, he is also our resident train expert, mechanic, photographer, and computer guru. He has fixed leaking pipes, strung Christmas lights, built displays, and repaired and maintained exhibits. He routinely works a 40-hour week, and is always ready to help with after hours events. The Virginia Museum of Transportation is deeply indebted to Phil McFarland for the impressive array of contributions he has made to the Museum over the past three years.
 
Pictured: The Museum's Volunteer Coordinator Susan Loveman presents the Volunteer of the Year Award to Phil McFarland.
 

 

Many groups have also volunteered recently, including....

On a hot day in July, Beth Cross, Amy Foster, Summer Harper, Christina Hedges, Ginny Jarrett, Shannon Shaffer-Kartesz, Liz Lochbrunner, Pamela Price, and Nicole Terrill repainted the playground equipment in the Star Station Playground, which was originally funded by the Junior League. The group spread mulch to make this imaginative play place safer as well.
 
Norfolk & Western Historical Society
The Norfolk & Western Historical Society, which recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary, is dedicated to preserving the history of the Norfolk & Western and Virginian Railways. In May, Ron Davis, Robb Fisher, Joe Shaw and Chuck Stewart spent a day washing locomotives in Claytor Pavilion.
 
Pictured: Robb Fisher buffs Norfolk & Western Diesel-Electric Locomotive #1135. Photo courtesy of Chuck Stewart.
 
Roanoke Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. 
Roanoke Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated is a public service organization which provides services and promotes human welfare, including sponsorship of a Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Day of Service. Special thanks to Gloria Randolph King, Shirley C. White, Donna W. Lee, and the Precious Pearls from Hurt Park Elementary School in Roanoke for all of their efforts. This year, volunteers helped take cushions off our special event chairs for cleaning and put stickers on about 5,000 brochures to update information.
 
Roanoke Valley Garden Club
Missy Rakes and Meredith Coleman are co-chairs of the Roanoke Valley Garden Club's committee that beautifies the Museum through lush plantings in the Rail Yard. Volunteering regularly throughout the growing season, they have planted and maintained the boxes on the dock and relocated the boxwood next to the fence near the streetcar where the shrubs are now thriving under their care.

 

The Club has been working weekly to redo the Museum's popular model railroad exhibit, and donating new locomotives and scenery to update the layout. Look carefully to spot many new action features the Club has recently added. Through efforts coordinated by Jim Molinary, a former board member and officer of the Museum, the Club plans to redo the entire layout within a year.
 
Virginian Railway Fans
In June, Ed Burnett, Greg Elam, Ernie Hubble, Aubrey Wiley--Virginian Railway fans, one from as far away as Victoria, VA--scraped and repainted Ellett Station in its proper color scheme of gray with brown trim. Ellett Station, a typical rural railroad structure built in 1942, was relocated from its location on the Virginian Railway to the Museum's Rail Yard a number of years ago. 
 

Pictured: Ed Burnett, Aubrey Wiley, Greg Elam, Ernie Hubble in front of Ellett Station. Photo courtesy of Aubrey Wiley.