ROCKFORD, Mich. — What began as a temporary way to honor Rockford veterans has become a permanent exhibit at the Rockford Area Museum after visitors proved it popular.
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Every uniform in the exhibit comes with a story about the person who wore it. Museum volunteer Denise Bradley, who started the exhibit this year just before Memorial Day, knows those stories.
One belongs to Tracy Skeels, a 1976 Rockford High School graduate.
“When the movie Top Gun came out in 1986, he was one of the elite eight pilots that did the flying scenes for the movie.”
Another uniform belonged to Francis Paepke, who served during World War II.
“Now this is Francis Paepke. She was a W.A.C. in World War II at the very beginning. They did not have enough women's uniforms for the women in World War II, so they made them wear the men's World War One uniforms.”
Bradley said telling the stories behind the uniforms is an important part of honoring those who served.
“I think it's important that you know about these people. These people gave up sometimes their lives to fight for our country, to do what they were supposed to do, to protect us. It's just not a person; it's a person who has a story. And I just think it's important to tell the story.”
The exhibit also tells the story of Ardon Ives, who was on the USS Lexington and survived after his plane crashed on the deck.
“One month later, he was transferred to the USS Yorktown, and that's the ship that he left from. And he never came back. He was killed in 1945.”
The uniforms and gear in the exhibit were donated or loaned to the museum. Bradley said the collection began with her father's uniform coat and grew as others contributed their own uniforms and stories.
“I started with my dad. I had his uniform coat, and then I kind of got the word out, and everybody was just so helpful. They just started bringing in their uniforms and their stories.”
Rockford Area Museum Director Ian McCormick said the exhibit has been very popular with visitors.
“No matter who you are, you know someone who served. So, when you come into a museum, what you want is you're looking for something you can relate to, and everybody can relate to military service.”
The exhibit includes the story of Don Rinehart, who was a teacher in Rockford and protected Bob Hope during one of Hope's USO tours.
Bradley said she is proud to help keep the stories of Rockford's service members alive.
“I just wanted to honor our soldiers that were from Rockford, and I don't think anybody ever thought it was going to become this popular.”
The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. or by appointment. It will also have a Hero's Tree display for Christmas featuring pictures of Rockford service members and first responders. Neighbors are encouraged to drop off a picture for the tree or uniforms to be included in the exhibit
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