Museum Welcomes New Curator, Revives ‘In Focus’ Series

Leticia Webb started her job as the Education Curator at the Churchill County Museum in early July, but she was no stranger to the institution. Webb served two and a half years as a museum assistant before stepping into the education curator role. She is excited to bring back some patron favorites and to begin new traditions.

One of her first goals is to start integrating the museum’s mascot into more activities. The “real” Beatrice Badger is a taxidermy badger gifted to the museum in 1995 from the Fallon Chamber of Commerce. She received her name during a naming contest held during the creation of the Discovery Room in 2007. Since then, Beatrice has become an ambassador for the museum and is featured in her own books and Facebook page. Lucky patrons might even see a 5-foot-tall badger roaming around the museum some days!

Webb would like to incorporate the furry mascot into arts and crafts, and draw more visitors to the children’s Discovery Room. She’s also brainstorming for programs she can create to entice teens and adults to the museum.

“Let’s find a way to bring the community into the museum,” Webb said. She needs to complete a few “finishing touches” to the Discovery Room, but added the children already love the manual typewriter and musical instruments.

While she doesn’t have a formal museum studies degree, Webb worked at the Historical Society in Elk Grove, Calif. for several years as a docent, cataloging items and creating exhibits. She also worked with children during her time at the Sacramento Zoo.

Webb and her family decided to relocate to Fallon eight years ago following a family visit.

“We loved it here,” she said. “We wanted our kids to grow up differently than we did.” She and her husband both come from larger cities, and they enjoy the small-town atmosphere in Fallon. Her family has been involved in the Fallon Youth Football League, and Webb volunteers for the Quarterback Club.

The museum also held its annual meeting and ice cream social on June 28, where Museum Director Mel Glover updated members on staffing, exhibits and events. Glover said he’s closer to a full staff this year and is excited about some new displays he’s working on. He’s got his eye on NAS Fallon and the real story behind Top Gun.

“The heart of any museum is a good story,” Glover said. “I want to get the stories behind the call signs.”

He said his crew will continue outreach to the community through events like parades, productions at the Fallon Theatre, the Cantaloupe Festival and the upcoming all-class reunion in August. He said they will provide some yearbooks at the reunion site at Oats Park, but said if folks want to see other yearbooks, “Come on down to the museum!”