May 1, 2025
Hello and Happy Spring!
I hope this message finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to share some exciting upcoming events and provide a few important details about this year’s Homecoming.
First and foremost, a heartfelt thank you to our incredible Museum volunteers, generous donors, and members of the 1880 Society, including our newest members. Your support is the foundation of everything we do. Thanks to your dedication, we are able to honor and preserve the legacy of Wentworth for generations to come.
Recently, we’ve had the privilege of welcoming family members of Old Boys who have since passed on and who have “marched onto that great quadrangle in the sky.” They’ve visited the museum to connect with the history of their fathers and grandfathers, who once attended our proud Military Academy in our small Missouri town. It’s moments like these that remind us just how meaningful our mission is.
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Work Weekend:
This year’s Memorial Day Work Weekend will be May 23-26. Our Work Weekend Coordinator Lincoln McCoy and the lady that keeps the museum executive committee on track, our Curator Annie Durigan will be in charge.
Here’s a breakdown of the tasks we’re hoping to knock out, especially during the work weekend if you’re able to lend a hand. There is something for everyone!!
🛠️Install light by the rear basement door, Add handrail to outside basement stairs, Add photo-eye for exterior lighting, Relocate basement bathroom light switch, Hang plaques in basement, Install additional trophy shelves, Install 3-way switch for basement lights, Install exit light by rear basement door, Add plugs by several display cases, Work on several display cases for homecoming, Light over right flag case, Air filter housing for HVAC unit, Repair band case and Mil-ball case, Quarter round baseboard on main floor, Clean out area behind stained glass, Air vent above door in Cadet room, Repair stairs to archive (replace missing wood trim piece), Seal electrical penetrations on rear of building, Apply roof sealant coating, Reinstall chimney vent with chicken wire to keep birds/bats out (installer never put it back on), Move boiler door to Bells Market, Repair lawn sprinklers and address settling issue, Paint wall by Norma Maring parlor, Cleanup work weekend supplies.
Other projects may magically appear. (It’s a magical museum, not Hogwarts, but close).
⚡Many electrical tasks will be done during the week, so if you’re available midweek instead of the weekend, it would be a big help
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Bonus Activity:
🎬The Shawshank Redemption Tar Roofing Scene (Sort of):
Roofing sealant work awaits the brave! Sadly, no guards will threaten you for chatting about taxes. No tar….. Possibly no resemblance to the movie at all. There might be beer though.
The roof is safe, and the edge is waist-high, so you won’t reenact any action scenes.
Disclaimer: Volunteering is 100% optional. If Lincoln throws you off the roof for talking about taxes, that’s between you gravity and Lincoln. The museum is not responsible.
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Homecoming 2025 – October 3–5
A Weekend of Remembrance, Celebration, and Connection
Wentworth family, it’s time to come home.
Homecoming 2025 will take place October 3–5, and this year, we’re bringing the focus back to the people who made Wentworth more than just a place, it’s about those who made it a family.
We’ll proudly honor the WMA Classes of 2015, 2000, and 1975, as well as anyone else celebrating a milestone year. These reunions are a chance to reconnect, relive, and remember the bonds forged at Wentworth Military Academy.
We’ll also pause for a moment of deep reflection, as we remember the life of Norma Maring and other beloved members of the Wentworth family who have passed. A Bell Tolling ceremony will be held in their memory, an enduring tradition that reminds us that once a part of Wentworth, always a part of Wentworth.
Last year, we introduced the tradition of recognizing companies like Alpha, Charlie, Tango, and more. This year, we’re doing something a little different, and very special.
We’re inviting back all those who once graced our Homecomings and Military Balls as Queens, Princesses, and Pages.
If you were one, or know someone who held that honor, please let them know. Yes, it might mean flipping through old photo albums, dialing a long-lost number, or even digging that little black book out of the lockbox in the attic, but this is the kind of memory worth reliving.
Together with the Homecoming Executive Committee, we hope to welcome these incredible women back to Lexington, to recognize their place in our Academy’s long and storied history. In fact, we’re putting together a special display of original gowns, sashes, and accessories from the past 137 years. An elegant tribute to those made the trek to Lexington to participate in our Homecomings, and Military Balls.
Please pass this along to anyone still connected to your WMA journey. Old friends, classmates, or that one person you’ve been meaning to call for years, it’s time.
Let’s make Homecoming 2025 not just a reunion, but a celebration of all the moments, big and small, that made Wentworth what it was, and what it still is to many of us!
Come back home. We’ll be waiting.
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Website:
We’re excited to announce that the new WMAMuseum.org website has launched!
The updated site features new sections, fresh content, and expanded details on alumni, history, the park, and our current museum location.
We hope everyone enjoys the new look and enhancements, we can’t wait to share it with you!
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The Wentworth Military Academy Museum exists today because of your unwavering support and encouragement.
Thank you for standing with us in our mission.
Together, we’re building a lasting legacy and honoring Wentworth’s rich history.
As Always…”ACHIEVE THE HONORABLE”
James L. Lowman
Chairman and Co-Founder
Wentworth Military Academy Museum, Inc.
WMA Classes of 1995 and 1997