From the Museum: Introducing Marilyn Goble and Raeburn Sottile

Editor
07/09/2019 03:48 AM (update 04/11/2023 01:45 AM)

by Leanna Lehman — Blazing the trail for the next generation of field experts, Marilyn Goble and Raeburn Sottile are proving to be a perfect fit for the forward-thinking Churchill County Museum director, Dan Ingram. Effused with enviable verve and vitality, these two millennials are telling new stories and helping history come to life for locals of all ages. Hailing from Pilot Mountain, North Carolina, Marilyn Goble has a major in history and is currently finishing her master’s degree. At 25, Fallon is the farthest west she has traveled. When Goble started looking for a job in her field, she naturally focused on the East Coast. With little available, she widened her search to include the entire country. Goble’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect. As fate would have it, two full-time curator positions had just hit the nationwide job boards. After an initial Skype interview, Goble flew out for a face-to-face meeting with Ingram and was selected for one of the curator positions. Trekking nearly coast to coast, Goble arrived in Fallon in the dead of winter to discover January in Nevada is quite unlike January in North Carolina. “It was a culture shock,” Goble stated, “It’s so sparse and there was so little green.” Now that summer is upon us, Goble is seeing a vastly different landscape. After months of wet and snowy weather, the new curator plans to visit nearby mountains she has been keen to explore. Arriving at nearly the same time, Raeburn (Rae) Sottile left his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to join the Churchill County Museum staff. With degrees in history and biology, Sottile went on to obtain his master’s degree in public history with a certificate in museum studies at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Sottile names his high school history teacher, Mr. Kangas, as the primary influence leading him into the museum field. He also emerged from high school with a strong interest in science. “It really was being undecided about what I wanted to do that led me to museum work.” According to Sottile, the museum field is tough to get into. “People are in it because they love it and they don’t want to leave.” He was fairly certain he would have to relocate so the move was anticipated, although he had no idea where he might end up. After two interviews Sottile was also hired as a curator and soon made his own cross-country trek. Sottile says he is enjoying living in Fallon and seems to be adapting well to the small-town vibe and desert climate. “I’m happy as long as it’s not too hot,” Sottile states. Starting his career in a small institution curating a wide variety of projects, Sottile is thrilled with what the local museum has to offer. “In larger museums, you could end up being the curator of the amphibians or the reproductive capabilities of beetles,” Sottile joked, “I really like not having to be super specialized.” Excited to be part of the museum team, Goble and Sottile’s first project was updating all the records on Fallon family histories. The task created a unique opportunity for them to learn about the culture and history of the new town they call home. Shortly after completion, they started on the exhibit showcasing Joyce Alcorn, a reporter for the Fallon Eagle Standard in the 1980s. Photos had to be selected, panels created, and hours of detailed work went into the extensive display. “The project included a lot of research, which was the most exciting part,” said Goble. Next, the pair moved on to curating all the guns in the museum’s impressive collection. The Lincoln Highway exhibit is next in the lineup while Goble and Sottile are also tasked with cataloging and curating 90 years of history as they just acquired the estate of Maie and Myrl Nygren. Even in the face of six banker’s boxes of recipes, stacks of tax returns dating back to the 50’s, and the sisters’ entire estate, all the projects are tackled with an enviable sense of enthusiasm. “None of this is boring,” Goble states, “I get to play Sherlock Holmes, Tetris, and jigsaw puzzles every day.” Stay Posted for information on the upcoming Lincoln Highway Exhibit August 1st. Support local, independent news – contribute to The Fallon Post, your non-profit (501c3) online news source for all things Fallon. Never miss the local news — read more on The Fallon Post home page.