The SAR MAGAZINE is the official quarterly publication of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution published quarterly.
Issue link: http://sar.epubxp.com/i/462055
8 SAR MAGAZINE Thomas Jefferson may have summed up the matter best when he wrote, "I think by far the most important bill in our whole code is that for the diffusion of knowledge among the people, no other sure foundation can be devised for the preservation of freedom and happiness." Imagine for just a moment what the conceptual image of a national patriotic education center might look like regarding content, components and outreach capabilities. For the sake of discussion, let's simply call the center the "SAR National Education Center of the American Revolution." Its mission would be educational in nature, conveying historical content and resource material to all audiences, focusing on the events and people who brought about the American Revolution and established the United States of America. It would promote the ideals of American freedom and preserve the founding principles of our republic. Its timeless message would be transmitted to others in the most informative and creative ways by telling the unique American story of our founding using the most advanced forms of communication. Educational outreach would be an all-encompassing form of modern communication and would bridge other patriotic, civic, educational and historical institutions across the country to provide similar services to achieve major impact and saturation of targeted markets within certain geographical locations. The concept and image of an SAR National Education Center of the American Revolution truly comes at a critical juncture in a time when our country really needs it the most! The center would include several individual and vital components having different educational form and function. The individual components would comprise the SAR Genealogical Library & Archives, providing historical, archival and genealogical information related to the American Revolution; the SAR Youth Awards Programs; an SAR Educational Outreach & Production Facility offering a polished, tier-seated theatre auditorium, large workshop and/or classroom and a built-in, state-of-the-art audio, video and broadcasting station. The facility would present in-house historical programs, produce DVD & CD educational materials, and eventually achieve broadcasting ability for high defnition audio and video distribution at the local, state and national levels. It would be capable of educational distribution to various types of electronic and computerized equipment utilized by millions of Americans daily with Internet reception capability. The production facility would be able to stream historical, patriotic and educational programs directly into public and private schools, colleges, universities and public television stations across the U.S. The concept and operation of such a facility currently are enhanced by overall market reduction of equipment costs, minimal square footage requirements, ease of operation and fundamental design. The communication system also is made even more affordable for us by using strategic planning for the purchase of a beginning, basic communication package that can be enhanced by add-on equipment purchased over specifed time periods as funding becomes available though a yearly budgeted program. Simply look around the community where you now live and each of you will fnd many of the larger local churches in your area purchasing the same affordable broadcast equipment outlined here for their outreach ministries operated by their own average church membership. Another key component making up the SAR National Education Center of the American Revolution would be the American Revolution Exhibit. The historical exhibit would not be a typical, static display-type museum installation but an interactive educational gallery or series of sectional exhibits allowing the general public to experience the historical provenance and events of the American Revolution with interactive and visual effects presenting our American Story of patriotic confict, war, freedom and formation of government. The facility would require minimal historical artifacts and incorporate standard management practices for daily operation to those visiting the exhibit. We would have no need for professionally trained museum staff simply because we would not be operating a "museum." The American Revolution Exhibit would reinforce our "national educational presence" as a "premier patriotic and lineage organization" in the U.S. and provide a unique walk-through experience defning historically the touchstones of liberty for young and old alike. The historic presentations would be exciting and interactive, using the most advanced technology. Narratives, videos and flm shown throughout the American Revolution Exhibit would be produced in-house using our own production facility and changed out in a timely fashion to keep sectional exhibits and presentations new, interesting and operating at minimal costs. Additionally, the American Revolution Exhibit would act as a sectional historical backdrop for video programming, development and production of educational material. Enhancing the exhibit area would be a visual presentation gallery featuring various historical artifacts on loan from different institutions and museums. These display items would focus on different historical subjects and themes of interest regarding the American Revolution and would be changed out periodically and featured in the lobby area for viewing by incoming and outgoing traffc. Eventually, the American Revolution Exhibit would be expanded in concept and design to incorporate traveling educational exhibits of the American Revolution utilizing specialty trailers housing portable educational displays and artifacts that would be placed on loan from our national educational center to various state societies and chapters of the SAR. The trailers could be easily transported to specifc locations for regional workshop applications, membership promotions and portable learning centers for the general public and school systems across the U.S. Providing additional fnancial support to the overall operation of the American Revolution Exhibit and the SAR Educational Outreach & Production Facility would be the development of an in-house gift shop for adults and children visiting the downtown location in Louisville, which would be strategically located within the entrance lobby of the exhibit area. Selected merchandise sold in our gift shop could also be made available for sale to a much larger consumer market via the use of our own designed and functional Web store. The SAR Outreach & Production Facility, with its auditorium, podium, large drop-down projection screen, stage and fexible side room, which could be used for educational workshops or transformed into a temporary banquet or meeting room, could be rented out on a regular basis to corporations, local businesses and civic organizations to produce additional income and fnancial support when not being used for education and production purposes. Patriotic outreach education fulflls our goals and our mission as a national society.