Roswell Historical Society September General Membership Meeting

General Meeting

Thursday, September 5, 2024

Roswell Adult Recreation Center

6:30PM

“The Life Within a House Museum”

Understanding the Care and Preservation of Our Historic Assets

Join us for a special panel discussion on the effort it takes in the management and preservation of historic properties and house museums. City of Roswell Historic Assets staff, Dena Bush and Dustin Klein, will join Bob Hagan (Friends of Bulloch President), Sarah Winner (award-winning Barrington Hall renovation), and Trevor Beemon, Executive Director of Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society and the William Root House Museum. Our conversation will reflect upon preservation experiences, public engagement, community impact, and the evolving “life” of house museum management.

Spread the word, bring your friends. This is a unique opportunity to see beyond the facade and learn how important the task of historic preservation is to the City of Roswell.

PANEL PRESENTERS

Trevor Beemon

​Executive Director, Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, Inc.

Trevor has served as the Executive Director of Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, Inc. since 2014. He began a life-long love for historic preservation by volunteering for Cobb Landmarks at the William Root House Museum at the age of twelve. He attended Kennesaw State University (KSU) where he received a degree in American History and completed the Public History Certificate Program. reviously, Trevor worked at the Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History and

the Atlanta History Center. He is currently chairman of the Acworth Historic Preservation Commission, and serves as an advisory board member for the Marietta Arts Council. Trevor received the Outstanding Alumnus Award from the KSU College of Humanities and Social Sciences in 2015 and was named to the "20 Under 40" list by Cobb Life Magazine in 2020.ur text

Dena Bush

Historic Assets Manager, City of Roswell

Bush is a public history professional with 20+ years of experience in preservation, museum education, and operations. She holds a M.A. in Public History from Armstrong State University in Savannah, Georgia, and previously worked for organizations suchas West Florida Historic Preservation Trust and The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. She is currently the Historic Assets Manager for the City of Roswell, overseeing supervision of Roswell’s historic house museums, namely Barrington Hall, Bulloch Hall, and Smith Plantation. Future planning and development will include Mimosa Hall & Gardens as well as collaboration and partnership with other landmarks and City assets, such as our historic cemeteries, Doc’s Café in the Groveway Community, and Old Mill Machine Shop at Vickery Creek Park. She has been awarded the state Florida Council for Social Studies, Civic Spirit Award, and the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge National George Washington Honor Medal, for public achievement in civic and museum education. Throughout her career in public history, what has fascinated Dena is observing how people interact with historic structures, landscapes, or gardens and subsequently why they may assign value to their experiences. She is always open for conversation and would love to hear about your thoughts on museums, history, and how you connect with our sites.

Robert Wheeler Hagan (Bob)

Former President, Roswell Historical Society

Bob was born and raised in Atlanta and has been a resident of Roswell for over 50 years. Bob is a past President of the Roswell Historical Society and is a Lifetime Member and a strong supporter of the Society where has played out his lifelong deep love of history. He was honored to be a recipient of the Partner in Preservation Award from the Historical Society and has received the Georgia Association of Museums Patron Award for his exemplary leadership and service and transformative support of the Friends of Bulloch and the City of Roswell. He has been involved with the Friends of Bulloch since its inception and has been a long-time member of its Board and currently serves as its President. As a member of the committee that purchased Bulloch Hall, he was instrumental in its purchase. Bob has also served on the Historic Preservation Commission for Roswell. Bob is a charter member of the Friends of Mimosa. 

Bob’s profession is Nursing and Assisted Living Homes Administration. An Advocate for long-term care for our seniors, he has owned and managed thirty-two nursing and assisted living homes in the southeast employing approximately 2,500 employees.

Bob is a long-time member of the Roswell United Methodist Church, and was on the Board of Stewards, as well as the Foundation Committee and Chair of the Finance Committee. He has served for 26 years as the Foundation Chair for the “Malone Dodson Golf Tournament”.

Bob also serves on the Board of many local charities including Roswell Rotary, Homestretch, Chattahoochee Nature Center, Georgia Ensemble Theater, Star House Foundation, Georgia Laws of Life and the Child Development Association. In 2022, Bob was asked to serve as a Board of Director for the WellStar Hospital Foundation. Bob was honored in 2009 by the Georgia Ensemble Theatre by receiving the esteemed annual “Legacy Award” for his contribution to the community of Roswell.He is a long time Board member of The Cottage School where he had served as President for 9 years. He was honored for his long-time support with the new education building named after him – HAGAN HALL. He is also the past President of the Georgia Ensemble Theatre and the HomeStretch Foundation. Bob was honored during the 2013 Magnolia Ball for his long support and dedication to the preservation of Bulloch Hall and has been President since February 2017. He is currently active with the American Cancer Society who honored him at the 2014 “Evening of Hope”, celebrating his bravery, positive attitude and a desire to help the American Cancer Society finish the fight against cancer. He is a 2016 recipient of the “History Maker of the Year Award 2016” from the Roswell Convention and Visitors Bureau. Bob presently serves as immediate past President of HomeStretch as well as co-chair of the Chattahoochee Nature Center Capital Campaign.

Bob is the proud father of two adult married children, Brooke and Chad. He also has one granddaughter named Winnie and a grandson named Bing born in June 2022.Bob enjoys traveling, walking and is an avid tennis player. Bob and his partner, Carol, enjoy traveling the globe and learning about different cultures and spending a tremendous amount of their time with their family

Dustin Klein

Operations and Interpretation Coordinator, City of Roswell

Dustin attended both the Universities of Georgia and West Georgia where he received a B.A. in History and M.A. in History and Museum Studies. Dustin began his public history career by overseeing operations and educational development of the West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail through the University of West Georgia as well as coordination of the Bremen, Ga, New Harmonies Exhibit, through the Smithsonian Traveling exhibit program. He continued his operational and interpretation career as volunteer and tour coordinator at The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History. Dustin was soon

promoted to a museum archivist position where he was responsible for management of analog and digital collections, research customer service, collections care, educational outreach, and exhibit development.

Sarah Winner

Sarah was the last private owner of Barrington Hall and had the privilege of leading the home’s award-winning restoration. She donated all the family possessions found in Barrington Hall to the Roswell Historical Society. The home furnishings were restored and remained with the home when it was sold to the City of Roswell in 2005.

Sarah’s information technology (IT) career began at Delta Air Lines. She completed her IT work at Hewlett-Packard where she held the position of

Network Engineering Manager for the Americas. Sarah served two terms on Roswell’s Planning Commission and recently served on Roswell’s Historical Preservation Commission. She has worked on the Executive Boards of the Fulton County Taxpayers Association and the Gwinnett / N. Fulton Junior League. She was a member of the Atlanta Junior League and Atlanta Kiwanis. She is currently a member of the Roswell Women’s Club.