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Honoring Extraordinary Ambassadors

March 29, 2024

As the driving force behind the Bosque Museum, Docent program commemorates 40th anniversary by honoring charter members

CLIFTON – Many visitors over the years have commented, that for such a small community, the Bosque Museum is an exceptional, first-class museum. Without its volunteer docents the Bosque Museum would be at a loss; there would be no field trips, Christmas decorations, cookies at a lecture, no smiling hostesses during a fundraiser, an exhibit or open house, just to name a few things that make the museum so special.

Established in 1984, the docent program aimed to promote interest and knowledge about the museum and serve as the liaison between the museum and the public. And to this day, the volunteer docents are the ambassadors par excellence for the museum.

On the 40th anniversary of their existence, the present museum docents stylishly with daffodils, gold butterflies and balloons in the soft colors of spring honored and remembered the 12 women that started it all – charter members Pearl Andrus, Doreen Dulick, Fran Grimm, Carol Holder, Alma Key, Mary Krueger, Dorothy Manly, Ethie Moore, Sue Murphey, Mary Orbeck, Anna Leslie Richardson, and Dee Sharp. The tea and cake and a dedication ceremony of a plaque and two octagonal garden tables for the pavilion next to the Olson cabin took place March 24.

“We want to celebrate the docents and say ‘thank you,’” Museum Executive Director Erin Shields said in her welcome. “Without the docents we could not run the museum.”

Docent President Cindy Upton thanked her committee and spoke to the importance of docents to the museum and the untold volunteer hours – over 740 hours in 2023 – they have devoted over four decades to support the museum's goals and mission. “In spite of their busy lives, our docents help out any way they can,” Upton said.

Bryan Davis spoke about the history of the docent organization and gave some background information on the 12 extraordinary women who paved the way. The women came from every corner of Bosque County and from every walk of life. While most were homemakers, as was customary at the time, many were successful businesswomen, several had advanced degrees, and some were published authors, and several were educators. All devoted their time and talents to the success of the museum, which had its origins 100 years ago in 1924. The guests could find a display of photos and histories of each charter member, all of whom are now deceased.

Pearl Andrus (1908-1986) attended McMurry University, majoring in English and Elementary Music. She went on to do graduate work at Sul Ross University. Both music teacher and author, her book “Juana” is for sale at the museum gift shop.

Irish by birth, Doreen Dulick’s family immigrated when she was a child. Together with her husband, they raised Hereford cattle on a ranch between Morgan and Kopperl. Besides the museum Doreen (1926-2010) volunteered at her church and many other civic organizations. After traveling around the world with her geophysicist husband, the couple retired to Clifton where Fran Grimm (1925 – 2011) was born. A New England native, Carol Holder’s family lineage dated back to English immigrants in Massachusetts in 1639. Carol (1924-2015) was a registered nurse and worked alongside her doctor husband at Goodall-Witcher, where she trained nurses.

Also married to a doctor, Fort Worth native Alma Key (1929-2016) graduated from Texas Women’s University and The University of Texas, Austin. She received the museum’s Heritage Award in 1999 for her decades of service to the museum. Besides the museum, Mary Krueger (1924-2015,) also a Fort Worth gal, volunteered at the Trinity Lutheran Church. Dorothy Manly (1926-2015) hailed from Arkansas and met her husband at the Abilene Christian University. The couple retired to Clifton after living in Houston and Dallas. Besides the museum, Dorothy was co-founder of the Bosque Animal Rescue Kennel.

Beloved school teacher, Floydada native, Ethie Moore (1934-1991) had an undergraduate degree from North Texas State University, a Master’s degree from Sam Houston State University, and her Ph.D. from Texas Women’s University. While running a ranch with her husband, she taught Home Economics and Textiles at Kopperl, Clifton, Cranfills Gap and Tarletoon State University. Sue Murphey (1921-2004) came to Bosque County from Houston. She and her World War II ace fighter pilot bred Hereford cattle on the family Circle M Ranch north of Meridian.

Bosque County native Mary Orbeck (1927-2021) was proud of her Norwegian heritage and was a lifelong member of the Texas Norwegian Society. While operating the Clifton Mercantile, she promoted local Norwegian history any way she could. As the Museum Board of Directors President for 17 years, she was responsible for saving the Olson Cabin and award-winning museum exhibits. For those efforts, she was awarded the 1996 Museum Heritage Award and the 2000 Clifton Chamber of Commerce Lifetime Achievement Award.

With a degree in music, Anna Leslie Richardson (1929-2011) moved to Bosque County from Arkansas. She enjoyed playing harp, piano and organ. Dee Sharp (1929-2023) served in every single capacity for all 40 years, and at the time of her death in 2023, she was the last living charter docent. While ranching, Dee had her own prolific career with decades of public service as a community volunteer, which included Child Protective Services work.

The octagon tables donated by the docents to the museum were first a way to honor the memory of the late charter docent member, Mary Orbeck. But as the 40th anniversary approached, the docents decided to dedicate the tables to all charter members.

The sturdy tables are made by an Amish-owned company in Ohio and composed entirely of recyclable material. They weigh 238 pounds and seat eight people. Docents hope they will last many generations and provide a practical purpose and comfort for outdoor gatherings as well as a physical reminder of those who paved the way for other docents and fostered the growth of the growth and success of the Bosque Museum.

While the museum’s charter docents were incredible and awe-inspiring, the present group of volunteer docents rivals them in their drive and their enthusiasm to promoting the museum, adding to that their knowledge and expertise in many areas. And going with the times, since 2017, some men – Bryan Davis, Lloyd Voges, and Lance Allen – have been added to the ranks. Depending on their skills and personal preference different docents chair different committees, like events and programs, field trips, historian, publicity and social media, board officers. Besides assisting all events at the museum, the group also organizes events to draw the public into the museum.

Anybody visiting the museum can be sure to receive a welcome smile, and a breadth of knowledge to answer any questions visitors could come up with, like “Who is Sam?” or “Who are the Bosque 7?” or “Did they have refrigerators in 1900?” or “Where were these fossils found?”