2015 Annual Report - Gettysburg Foundation

… 2015 Annual Report …
The Gettysburg Foundation is a nonprofit
educational organization working in partnership
with the National Park Service to enhance
preservation and understanding of the heritage
and lasting significance of Gettysburg and its
national parks. The Foundation raised funds
for and now operates the Museum and Visitor
Center at Gettysburg National Military Park,
which opened in April 2008. In addition to
operating the Museum and Visitor Center, the
Foundation has a broad preservation mission
that includes land, monument, and artifact
preservation and battlefield rehabilitation—
all in support of the National Park Service’s
goals at Gettysburg.
Cover: Photo of the Daniel Klingel property
by Lynn Light Heller, Gettysburg Expressions
CONTENTS
… 2015 Annual Report …
Letter from President Joanne M. Hanley and Chairman Robert A. Kinsley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Letter from Superintendent Ed W. Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Preservation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Acquisition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Stewardship and Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The Visitor Experience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Other Special Events and Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Financials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Supporter Recognition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Directors and Councils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
In Memoriam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Back Cover
1
DEAR FRIENDS,
Gettysburg is unequaled in its capacity to teach and inspire
generations, and the Gettysburg Foundation has both the
opportunity and the responsibility, for generations today and
well into the future, to share that capacity.
When we look at the accomplishments of the Gettysburg Foundation
during this past year, we are moved by and grateful for the efforts and
contributions of time, talent, and treasure that spurred us forward in
bringing the Gettysburg story to more people than ever. Through our
partnership with the National Park Service in support of the national
parks at Gettysburg, we made substantial advancements this year
in projects and programs related to preservation, acquisition,
membership, education, and our visitors’ experiences.
The “unfinished work” that President Lincoln exhorted us to carry
on in his Gettysburg Address still stretches before us. Indeed, it is
the very core of our mission. Gettysburg is a powerful place, and
we are both proud and humbled to work with the National Park
Service to help ensure that the meaning of Gettysburg remains just
as relevant in the future as it was to those who fought and died here
152 years ago.
We hope that as you read about our accomplishments for the year,
you will imagine the seeds of a bold vision for the future and realize
how much remains to be done. From Little Round Top, to Cemetery
Ridge, to President Eisenhower’s home, to the George Spangler
Farm and beyond, there are “great tasks remaining before us.” It is
an exciting time to be a part of the journey to preserve and protect
the national parks in Gettysburg, particularly as we celebrate the
100th anniversary of the National Park Service in 2016. We invite
you to join us as we embark on the next 100 years!
With sincere thanks,
JOANNE M. HANLEY
President
Gettysburg Foundation
ROBERT A. KINSLEY
Chair
Gettysburg Foundation Board of Directors
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LOOKING BACK at everything this powerful
partnership accomplished in 2015 makes me prouder than ever
to be Superintendent of Gettysburg National Military Park and
Eisenhower National Historic Site.
Across the National Park Service, this partnership stands out for the amazing
breadth and depth of its accomplishments. Together in 2015, the Gettysburg
Foundation and Gettysburg’s two national parks provided memorable
and enjoyable visits for more than a million people. We created expanded
volunteer programs, enhanced educational programs for students and
teachers, and improved our stewardship of cannon carriages, monuments,
artifacts, and more.
One of many long-lasting legacies of 2015 is the
Gettysburg Foundation’s donation of forty-five
acres at Big Round Top. This land where cavalry
skirmishes occurred during the battle is also home
to critical wetlands and wildlife habitat related to
Plum Run. The Foundation’s donation will ensure
that the land is preserved unimpaired for future
generations.
As the National Park Service begins its Centennial
in 2016, the Foundation’s support for Centennial
programs is helping Gettysburg National Military
Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site engage
with and create the next generation of park visitors,
supporters, and advocates. These programs include
Every Kid in a Park, Artists-in-Residence, arts programs at Eisenhower, the
acquisition of museum collections, planning for improvements at Little Round
Top, and preparation for the final phases of the rehab of Cemetery Ridge—just
to name a few!
Congratulations to the Gettysburg Foundation for an outstanding year!
Sincerely,
ED W. CLARK
Superintendent
Gettysburg National Military Park
Eisenhower National Historic Site
3
PRESERVATION
… the great task remaining before us …
Preserving and protecting the historical resources of Gettysburg National
Military Park (GETT) and Eisenhower National Historic Site (EISE) is one
of the most important responsibilities of the Gettysburg Foundation. For visitors
to experience and understand the meaning of these sites, there is no substitute
for touching the actual place where history happened.
SAVING A CROWN JEWEL:
Monuments and artillery placements badly need
preservation work, tour guides and visitors vie
for viewing spots among throngs of people, and
natural resources need to be protected against
further degradation.
Little Round Top Environmental
Assessment Draft Completed
Little Round Top is nearly synonymous with
Gettysburg. When the colonel of a unit instrumental
in the fight to keep it in Union hands first glimpsed
this critical high ground, he said it looked like the
“playground or battleground of giants.” Colonel
Joshua Chamberlain’s words still ring true today
as almost all of the one million annual visitors
to the battlefield make the pilgrimage to this
iconic landmark.
To lay the groundwork for an unprecedented
rehabilitation effort of Little Round Top by the
National Park Service (NPS), the Gettysburg
Foundation funded an environmental assessment
that documents existing conditions and proposes
several alternatives to alleviate overuse and
overcrowding, enhance pedestrian and vehicular
access and flow, and preserve the landscape.
The NPS completed the assessment draft in
2015 and presented some of its findings to the
public for comment. In 2016, the recommended
rehabilitation strategy and final decision will
be presented.
This special place is suffering, however, from the
impact of being “loved to death.” The site was
designed for circulation in the late 1800s and
periodically realigned through the 1950s; parking
and traffic flow for today’s vehicles and volume
have become insufficient, inefficient, and unsafe.
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ONE STEP CLOSER:
generation of visitors in its second century,
provided $600,000 in federal funding, which the
Gettysburg Foundation matched with a $700,000
grant to the NPS.
Major Matching Grant Provided
to Fund Next Phase of
Cemetery Ridge Rehabilitation
as a Centennial Legacy Project
This Centennial Legacy Project will make it possible
to give visitors a true sense of what this furiously
contested ground looked like at the time of the
battle. The size of the parking area at Ziegler’s
Grove will be reduced, and historic features at
the center of the Union Army’s battle line will be
restored, including commemorative walkways,
a portion of historic Hancock Avenue, and the
original ornamental gates at Taneytown Road.
Monuments which were moved to make way for
the construction of the old cyclorama building
will be returned to their original placement. With
funding now secured, work will begin in 2016.
The rehabilitation of Cemetery Ridge has been
a long-term goal of Gettysburg National Military
Park and the Gettysburg Foundation. Over the last
several years, buildings and parking areas have
been removed, fields and fence lines restored, and
monuments relocated to their original locations.
This past year, one of the last phases of
rehabilitation was made possible through the
securing of $1.3 million. The NPS Centennial
Initiative, designed to celebrate the 100th
anniversary of the NPS in 2016 and to prepare
national parks to connect with and create the next
Friends volunteers restored an historic
fence line at Cemetery Ridge.
Gettysburg Foundation President Joanne Hanley
presents GETT and EISE Superintendent Ed Clark
with a $700,000 grant check.
5
STORIES COME ALIVE
THROUGH WOOD AND STONE:
the Friends of Gettysburg—the membership arm
of the Gettysburg Foundation—in honor of their
twenty-fifth anniversary in 2014.
The Spangler Farm Barn and
Smokehouse Receive a New Life
In 2015, all of the needed funds were raised to
complete the restoration and rehabilitation of the
smokehouse and barn at the George Spangler
Farm, site of the 11th Corps Union Field Hospital,
where both Union and Confederate wounded
soldiers were treated. It is one of the most intact
and well-preserved Civil War farms used as a corps
field hospital still in existence. The Gettysburg
Foundation owns the property and is in the
process of restoring it to its 1863 appearance.
Visitors to the farm in the summer can hear
educational programs offered by GETT rangers
and by Gettysburg Foundation volunteers specially
trained and stationed at this field hospital site.
The experiences in 1863 of surgeons, aides, and
civilians tending 1,800 wounded soldiers in and
around the barn provide distinct and compelling
interpretive opportunities.
The restoration of the historic barn that bore witness to
the men, women and children whose lives were forever
changed in July and August 1863 ensures their stories
won’t be forgotten.
The Spangler barn had fallen into severe disrepair
and deterioration; so much so that it was feared
it would collapse with every major wind and
rainstorm. The exterior walls had to be “shrinkwrapped” with plywood for temporary emergency
stabilization. Permanent work on the barn began
in 2015 and will ultimately include structural
repair of the timber frame and stone walls; roof
replacement; exterior siding replacement; window,
vent, and door repairs and replacement; and
lightning-protection replacement. The fully restored
Spangler barn—and the vibrant history it reflects—
will be completed and open to visitors in June
of 2016.
The smokehouse will give visitors a look into
the reality of Pennsylvania farm life in the 1800s.
Used to cure and smoke meat, smokehouses
were commonly found on farms until the early
to mid-twentieth century, when refrigeration and
electrification made them unnecessary. The work
on the smokehouse was generously funded by
The reconstruction work is complete on the
smokehouse at the George Spangler Farm Civil
War Field Hospital Site. Inset: The Smokehouse
stood in poor condition.
6
“SERVE WELL THE GUNS:”
Joanne Hanley, Foundation Board of Directors Vice
Chair Barbara Finfrock, and GETT Superintendent
Ed Clark began with remarks about the shop’s
history and accomplishments associated with the
repair work over the years. Park restoration experts
gave guests a behind-the-scenes look at how the
cannon carriages are cared for and restored and
the very specialized treatments they receive after
exposure to nature’s elements over time.
Cannon Carriage Restoration Shop
Opened at Gettysburg Armory Complex
Cannons are the most visible artifacts of the battle.
Along with their accompanying carriages and
ammunition carts, they invite visitors to ponder
firsthand the impact of their use. The placement
of cannon on the battlefield is critical for visitors
to understand where Union and Confederate
lines were fighting, and how they moved in battle.
GETT has over 400 cannon in various states of
restoration and repair, both on the battlefield and
in the repair shop.
JUNCTION OF HISTORY:
Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station
Welcomes Visitors
The Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station was a
small-town station before the Battle of Gettysburg
transformed it into a hospital
and morgue for thousands.
The station was where
President Lincoln arrived
and departed from when
he visited Gettysburg to
deliver dedication remarks
at the new Soldiers’ National
Cemetery.
In 2015, a new cannon carriage restoration shop
was opened behind the Gettysburg Armory in
outbuildings repurposed from modern garage
facilities. The Gettysburg Foundation acquired
the Armory complex in 2014 and established an
agreement with GETT to operate the shop on the
property.
Located in a downtown Gettysburg warehouse that
the Foundation had rented since 1999, the former
shop was becoming increasingly more inadequate
and antiquated for current needs. The new facility
contains more space than the previous shop and
allows for increased storage of cannon carriages as
they await restoration work and subsequent return
to the battlefield.
Superintendent Ed Clark; Vice
Chair Barbara Finfrock; Head of
GETT Monument Preservation
Branch Lucas Flickinger; and
Gettysburg Foundation President
Joanne Hanley cut the ribbon.
The Gettysburg Foundation
purchased the railroad
station from the Borough
of Gettysburg in 2014.
Legislation was passed by
Gettysburg Lincoln
Railroad Station.
both houses of Congress
in 2015 to expand the boundary of GETT to include
this historic property. Throughout 2015, the
Gettysburg Foundation worked toward donating
the station to GETT, which involved negotiating and
adjusting expectations with several different entities
that hold easements on the property before the title
can be passed to the federal government.
The Foundation
hosted a
dedication and
ribbon-cutting
ceremony for
the new facility
at its First Corps
member event
in August.
More than
forty-five
members of
the First Corps
and the general
public were
in attendance.
Foundation
President
The Foundation opened the station in March
of 2015 as a visitor contact site with exhibits,
information, and a modest sales operation, and
will hold the title until the process of donating it to
GETT is complete. The Foundation also restored
the second floor of the station and transformed
it into a fully equipped meeting space with stateof-the art features, Wi-Fi, a projection screen, and
conference seating for twenty.
7
ACQUISITION
… the unfinished work …
Securing the history of Gettysburg for future generations also means
acquiring artifacts and sacred ground that help to bring stories to life, creating
a connection of relevance and significance to new generations.
ACQUISITION OF LAND
through the act of Congress in 2015, the
Foundation was finally able to donate the property
to GETT. In November 2015, President Joanne
Hanley officially passed the deed to Superintendent
Ed Clark. The
Hills were in
attendance and
spoke about why
it was important
to them to ensure
the preservation
of the property.
Key Plum Run Property Donated to
Gettysburg National Military Park
Plum Run, located just south of the base of Big
Round Top, is the site of hard-fought cavalry
skirmishes during the battle and the home of
critical wetlands and wildlife habitat. The
Gettysburg Foundation has held and protected
the property since 2008, when it was generously
donated to the Foundation by local citizens
Wayne and Susan Hill. Thanks to the boundary
expansion of Gettysburg National Military Park
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ACQUISITION OF ARTIFACTS
The acquisition of artifacts is a critical component of the Foundation’s mission. These precious items
humanize history and allow the National Park Service to further interpret the Battle of Gettysburg and the
life of President Dwight D. and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower.
Mamie Eisenhower’s Christmas China
Added a Festive Touch to Holiday Display
Civil War Collector and Gettysburg
Foundation Board Member Donates an
Extensive Collection of Artifacts to the
Gettysburg Foundation
Each December, the Eisenhower National Historic
Site and the Gettysburg Foundation showcase the
Eisenhower home in its Christmas holiday splendor.
The Eisenhower nativity
diorama, exhibited in the
East Room of the White
House during Dwight
D. Eisenhower’s
presidency, was on
display in the lobby
of the Gettysburg
National Military Park
Museum and Visitor
Center in December
of 2015. Nearby was
a set of First Lady Mamie
Eisenhower’s Christmas
china, a recent donation to the park by the
Eisenhower family.
On December 29, 2015, Craig Bashein, a prominent
Cleveland attorney, a member of the Board of
Directors of the Gettysburg Foundation, and a Civil
War collector, donated an incredible collection of
Civil War artifacts to the Gettysburg Foundation.
Some of the treasured items include:
• the dress uniform, ornate leather boots, gold
spurs, pistol, and Tiffany presentation sword
of Brigadier General Hobart Ward, a brigade
and division commander in the 3rd Corps at
Gettysburg;
• a Model 1851 Colt Navy Revolver presented
to Alexander Webb by Colonel Samuel Colt;
• the bullet-struck Model 1850 foot officer’s sword
of Colonel Orlando Smith of the 73rd Ohio
Infantry;
The china was made in England for sale by
Plummer Ltd., a New York City store that went
out of business in 1962. A large set with service
for twenty-four, it has an image of a decorated
Christmas tree with presents underneath on all the
pieces. Mrs. Eisenhower must have added to the
set later, since the cake stand and three-tier server
have different maker’s marks: Barrington Ironstone
and Bertson House Ltd.
• the hand-drawn map of Rappahannock River
crossings made and signed by General John
F. Reynolds in the early part of the Gettysburg
campaign;
• dozens of individual documents pertaining
to the Gettysburg battle and campaign, written
by soldiers and civilians on both sides;
• a forty-three-page letter from E. J. Allen (the pen
name of Allan J. Pinkerton, first head of the U.S.
Secret Service), containing details about the
fortification around Richmond;
Mrs. Eisenhower later gave her set of Christmas
china to her daughter-in-law, Barbara Eisenhower,
likely in the 1970s. In a 1983 interview, Barbara said,
“I love that Christmas china. … It’s that one that was
made by Plummer’s in New York and it’s just a little
Christmas tree … very old-fashioned.”
• a large original oil painting by renowned modern
Civil War artist Mort Künstler entitled The
Grandest Charge Ever Seen by Mortal Man;
• and several other one-of-a-kind items.
Also included in the Eisenhower donation was an
Afghani costume and jewelry set presented to the
President’s daughter-in-law, Barbara.
9
Mr. Bashein noted, “This collection provides a
unique and historically important window into the
Civil War. I’ve been a longtime supporter of the
Gettysburg Foundation and feel their mission is
important to our nation. … My goal is to ensure that
these historically important objects are preserved
and well cared for in perpetuity for the American
people.”
Gettysburg Foundation Acquires
and Donates Xanthus Russell Smith
Oil Paintings
The Foundation acquired two significant oil
paintings by renowned nineteenth-century
artist Xanthus Russell Smith and donated
them to the Park’s fine art collection.
Smith is best known for his paintings and
illustrations of the American Civil War.
Gettysburg Foundation Purchases and
Donates Confederate Engineer Officer’s
Dress Coat
The Foundation purchased a Confederate engineer
officer’s Pattern 1851 blue-gray wool dress coat
originally worn by Lt. Col. Robert P. Rowley, and
subsequently donated it to GETT. This rare coat not
only reflects the career of a specific Confederate
officer, but also serves as a touchstone to highlight
the role of engineers in the Confederate army.
The Gettysburg Foundation will
also fund conservation work to
repair minor damages.
Robert P. Rowley’s
dress coat.
The first (above), entitled Col. Rush’s Cavalry,
is a small study of a Union soldier in the 6th
Pennsylvania Cavalry, which served at Gettysburg.
The unit was known as “Rush’s Lancers” because
it was the only cavalry regiment in the war initially
armed with lances, an ineffective weapon
abandoned by July 1863. The unit still depicted
the distinctive weapons on its monument at South
Cavalry Field in Gettysburg.
10
The second painting (below), entitled Opening
of the Battle of Gettysburg and Death of General
Reynolds, July 1, 1863, portrays an opening
segment of the Battle of Gettysburg, at the moment
when Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds was shot, reeled
from his horse, and died. The painting also captures
the intensity and confusion of the battle, beginning
with Union and Confederate forces rushing into
the fray.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Tractor
Obtained at Auction and Donated to
Eisenhower National Historic Site
The Gettysburg Foundation acquired President
Eisenhower’s Cockshutt Black Hawk Model 40
tractor, and then donated it to EISE. President
Eisenhower received the tractor from the Farm
Bureaus of Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana,
complete with a cigarette lighter and radio with
short- and long-wave aerial, on November 30, 1955.
When accepting the tractor, Eisenhower said that
he could scale down his agricultural ambitions and
“settle now for being a tractor driver on a farm.”
In 1963, the Black Hawk’s engine seized and the
farm manager traded it for a Massey Ferguson 65.
Several owner-collectors and fifty-two years later,
the Gettysburg Foundation purchased the tractor
and brought it back to its original home, the
Eisenhower Farm. When the people at the auction
in September 2015 learned that it was going back
to its home, they stood and cheered!
Gettysburg Foundation Acquires and
Donates a Berdan Sharps New Model
1859 Rifle and Record Book
The Gettysburg Foundation acquired and donated
to GETT a unique Berdan Sharps New Model 1859
rifle issued to William J. Domag, Company F, 1st
United States Sharpshooters. Domag enlisted on
August 15, 1862, and was killed at the Battle of the
Wilderness on May 5, 1864. The Foundation also
acquired the record book which lists owner and
rifle; this record book revealed previously unknown
information.
President Eisenhower’s Cockshutt Black Hawk
Model 40 tractor.
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STEWARDSHIP
and MEMBERSHIP
… we take increased devotion …
e members and donors of the Gettysburg Foundation share a passion for and a
commitment to Gettysburg and its national parks. ey take their duty seriously as
caretakers of Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site
by donating their time and talents to preservation work in a variety of ways.
Donor Engagement Events Instituted
to Increase Cultivation
The Gettysburg Foundation launched an initiative
in 2015 to bring Gettysburg and its mission
to potential new Friends and supporters by
encouraging involvement through on-site visits
and events. Hosted by board members and Friends,
these engagement events were held in Boston,
Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. They allowed
Foundation and NPS leadership to acquaint new
Friends and potential supporters with the numerous
accomplishments already achieved at both
Gettysburg and Eisenhower and to reveal a bold
preservation and education vision for the future.
Gettysburg Foundation board member Eric
Schultz and Windover Construction sponsored
the engagement event in Boston, where fellow
Foundation board member and former Good
Morning America host David Hartman was a
featured speaker. In Pittsburgh, board members
Mike Higgins and Sandy Mellon hosted the event at
the Duquesne Club. The year’s final event was cohosted by M. Kelly Tillery, Partner, Pepper Hamilton
LLP, at the Union League Club of Philadelphia.
The Foundation has plans underway for 2016
events in Ohio, Northern Virginia, Washington D.C.,
Maryland, New Jersey, Georgia, Illinois, and
Tennessee.
transform it into hard cider. Zach Bolitho, Chief
of Resource Management for GETT and EISE,
who works with the Gettysburg Foundation on this
initiative, stated, “The Recruit membership program
provides opportunities for citizens to connect
with our parks in meaningful ways that contribute
to the long-term care and sustainability of park
landscapes—like the orchards. Together we learn
about the parks, practice a new skill like pruning,
and we get to celebrate our newly discovered
wisdom with friends and cider … the full package!"
The Guardians’ Society Relaunched
The Gettysburg Foundation relaunched its
Guardians’ Society, a valued and dedicated group
whose members pledge ongoing support for the
Foundation and Gettysburg initiatives through
planned giving.
On September 27, Recruit members gathered at the
Eisenhower Farm to kick off the new membership
effort with an evening of cider, conversation, live
music, food, and fun. The farm provided a beautiful
and historic setting for the inaugural event.
As part of their intimate involvement with each
step of the cider-making process, Recruit members
met at the Rose Orchard on the Gettysburg
Battlefield to pick their first batch of apples. After
two apple-picking events, Adam worked at his
cidery to transform the apples into a delicious
batch of cider, crafted with a blend of apples the
Recruits picked, and enhanced by oak aging to
produce faint vanilla and woody flavors. This debut
batch of cider was appropriately titled “Rose Farm
Orchard.” A portion of the proceeds from each
bottle sold will go toward preserving the historic
orchards on the battlefield.
Chaired by longtime Friend and supporter Charles
H. Diller, Jr. (above), the Guardians’ Society will
hold its first annual event in spring 2016, with two
goals: to honor those who make planned-giving
commitments which provide significant resources
to the parks in the future, and to encourage others
to make similar gifts.
New “Recruit” Membership Level
Created for Millennials
The Recruit membership level, tailored to ages
eighteen to thirty-eight, gives the younger
generation the opportunity to get involved in
Friends projects, learn more about Gettysburg’s
rich history, and understand the critical importance
of philanthropy and service.
A new batch of “Centennial Cider” will be
introduced in 2016 in honor of the 100th
anniversary of the National Park Service!
The historic orchards on the battlefield tell a
powerful part of the Gettysburg story. But it is
difficult for GETT to keep up with the care and
maintenance of the hundreds of trees.
Recruit members partnered with GETT and Good
Intent Cider to ensure the fruit from these historic
orchards no longer goes to waste. The Recruits’
Seedling to Cider project takes fruit grown in
battlefield orchards and works with cider master
Adam Redding, owner of Good Intent Cider, to
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The Recruits stop for a quick photo after picking
apples in the Rose North orchard.
trees. In a cold, driving rain, Recruit members nearly
doubled their original fundraising goal as the event
was live-streamed on Periscope and shared
through the Foundation’s Facebook and Twitter
pages.
The Gettysburg Foundation Joins
the #GivingTuesday Movement
Photo Credit: Hanover Evening Sun
On December 1, 2015, the Gettysburg Foundation
participated in #GivingTuesday for the first time.
#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving that
harnesses the collective power of individuals,
communities, and organizations to encourage
philanthropy and celebrate generosity worldwide.
In the United States, #GivingTuesday is held
annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, after
the widely recognized shopping events Black
Friday and Cyber Monday, to kick off the holiday
giving season and inspire people to collaborate
in improving their local communities.
Overall, the Foundation’s financial #GivingTuesday
goal of $5,000 was surpassed with a total of $5,271
raised in one day, which included a generous match
gift from an inspired Friends member.
Friends of Gettysburg Member Events
Continue to Educate and Inspire
The nearly twenty-five thousand Friends of
Gettysburg members hail from all fifty states
and eight foreign nations. They remain true
to all aspects of the Gettysburg Foundation’s
mission, and they travel to Gettysburg, often
several times a year, where they take part
in both classroom and field programs that
broaden their understanding and appreciation
of the Battle of Gettysburg and its role in the
American Civil War.
As part of this
movement,
Gettysburg
Foundation
Recruit
members
took part in
a “Pruning
Plunge,” similar
to the concept
behind the
popular “polar
bear plunge”
events. They
pruned apple
trees on the
battlefield in
Recruit t-shirts
and shorts to
raise a modest
Visitors were invited to share why
amount of
they feel preserving Gettysburg’s
money for their
story is important.
Seedling to
Cider project,
NPS Biologist Charles Brown gives
Recruit Members Bethany Yingling
spread
and Jen Kelley pruning tips during
awareness
the Pruning Plunge.
about this
burgeoning membership level, and share their
Gettysburg stories. Park biologists showed Recruits
proper techniques and tool use for pruning the
Friends members tour the Gettysburg battlefield during
Spring Muster.
In 2015, members attended several sold-out annual
favorite events, such as the Spring and Fall Musters,
which offer several days of touring and educational
seminars, as well as diverse offerings such as the
14
Heritage Trail Hike, Adams Seminars, Encounters
with History events, Volunteer Work Day, and First
Corps events.
day-long efforts, volunteers enjoyed a program
in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery led by NPS
monument-preservation specialists.
Gettysburg Foundation Volunteers
Make a Lasting Difference
In September 2015, seventeen Foundation
volunteers worked with Park staff to paint the
skeet and trap buildings and the fence posts
at the Eisenhower Farm, as well as provide a
much-needed facelift to fencing along the
Millerstown Road on the battlefield.
Gettysburg Foundation volunteers have heart,
dedication, passion, enthusiasm, and tenacity to
get the job done. This is illustrated in the numerous
projects and programs that form the core of the
Foundation’s work, including, but not limited to,
painting and building fences at GETT and EISE;
facilitating and caring for
the historic Sherfy Garden;
recruiting, servicing, and
welcoming members at the
Member Services Desk;
greeting and assisting visitors
at the Museum and Visitor
Center, Rupp House History
Center, David Wills House,
and Gettysburg Lincoln
Railroad Station; and assisting
with various clerical and
maintenance duties.
Sherfy Farm Garden Project
Helps Sustain Community
This past summer, the Gettysburg Foundation,
along with partners from the Civil War Institute
at Gettysburg College, planted and harvested a
historic garden at the Sherfy Farm. Nondestructive
techniques have been used over the last couple
of years at Sherfy to develop a rich soil profile
without actually digging into hallowed ground.
After crops are grown from heirloom seeds, the
produce is harvested and donated to communitybased programs such as local food banks, Meals
on Wheels, and the Campus Kitchen.
Over two thousand pounds of produce were
harvested in 2015 alone.
In 2015 alone, 613 volunteers
donated 9,556 hours of service
to the Foundation in support
of our partnership with GETT
and EISE, providing nearly
$221,000 of value to the parks.
Volunteers get their
hands dirty during
the Volunteer Work
Day event.
The annual Friends of
Gettysburg Volunteer Work
Day event in June 2015 alone
brought nearly 300 Friends
volunteers from nineteen
states to help with projects.
The work day projects included building 650 feet
of fencing at the Biggs (Frey) farmhouse and more
than 2,500 feet of fencing on Cemetery Hill in the
old Visitor Center parking lot; cleaning and painting
details on headstones in the Soldiers’ National
Cemetery; clearing brush at the Bushman Farm;
and painting historic barns and fences at the
McPherson, Sherfy, and Slyder farms. After their
Volunteers work hard to ensure the Sherfy Garden
has a bountiful harvest.
15
EDUCATION
… so nobly advanced …
Gettysburg Foundation and its partners broadened existing educational
programs and created new ones to help students realize their individual leadership
skills and enjoy enriching experiences that will give them the opportunity
to think, dream, achieve, and lead.
WHY GETTYSBURG MATTERS:
Education 150 Initiative – Youth Quest
Camp Bolsters Leadership Skills
In 2015, the Gettysburg Foundation, in partnership
with GETT and Gettysburg College, completed
its four-year Education 150 Initiative, developed
to engage educators and students from
underserved inner-city and rural areas in the
meaning of Gettysburg and the Civil War in their
lives today. In the first phase of the initiative,
two educator conferences brought a total of
ninety-one teachers from inner city and rural
school districts from seven states. In the second
phase, the educators, in turn, taught their students
lessons from Gettysburg and brought nearly
6,000 students on field trips to Gettysburg for
a hands-on learning experience. This number is
in addition to the over 100,000 students who visit
Gettysburg every year on traditional school
field trips.
Youth Quest students participate in team building activities that help them get comfortable with their new
teammates and environment, as well as encourage them to start problem-solving and working together.
The 2015 Youth Quest Leadership Camp, held in
July, constituted the initiative’s third and final phase.
Twenty-five ninth graders, nominated by teachers
who had attended the educators’ conferences,
took part in Youth Quest’s five-day, four-night
experiential and immersive experience, complete
with engaging activities led by Park rangers and
Gettysburg College students and faculty. In the
2013 Youth Quest Leadership Camp, twenty-five
additional students participated, also from
underserved urban and rural environments. The
camp was designed to help the students identify
and develop foundational leadership skills through
exploration of Gettysburg history and the relevancy
to their lives today.
Experiential learning exercises deepened the
students’ self-awareness, built their confidence
in team- and community-building, enhanced their
communications skills, and helped them see their
own potential for leadership. Students stayed
on the college campus, working in teams called
“Corps Groups” led by college students who were
their counselors and leadership mentors.
At the conclusion of Youth Quest, each student
gave a presentation before an audience of family,
friends, and staff about his or her most memorable
moments of the experience. All of them mentioned
the significance of learning their own leadership
skills, the specific goals they set for themselves,
and how they planned to use what they learned
upon their return home. One student described
her renewed motivation to continue building a local
teen suicide-prevention program at her school.
She stated, “Youth Quest helped me recognize my
strengths and how to use them to accomplish my
goals.” Another student said, “Youth Quest helped
me realize my true self and how to break out of my
shell and make a difference in my community.”
In 2015, Youth Quest students came from six different
states: PA, NY, NJ, MS, WV and VA.
During specially designed programs on the
battlefield, in the town, and in the Soldiers’ National
Cemetery, students discovered how military leaders
and President Lincoln made key decisions that
affected not only the outcome of the battle but the
course of American and world history. They also
walked the paths of common soldiers, coming face
to face with their personal courage and sacrifice.
Youth Quest students learn determination and
courage by walking in the footsteps of Civil War
soldiers on Big Round Top with NPS Ranger
Chris Gwinn.
17
battlefield as an outdoor classroom. The Gettysburg
Foundation provided staff and administrative
support to GETT for these programs, which
included “traveling trunks” filled with educational
materials, curriculum-based ranger field programs,
and two new multi-day workshops. During their
in-service training days, about twenty educators
attended each program, which offered a behindthe-scenes look at historic resources, specific
curriculum connections, and leadership lessons
available to them through the Foundation, GETT,
and EISE.
Other Programs Designed for
Local Educators and Students
The Centennial Student Exchange program was
developed to celebrate the 100th anniversary
of the National Park Service in 2016. The program
connected advanced-placement students from
Gettysburg Area School District to students from
Appomattox County High School in Appomattox,
Virginia. The high schools’ history teachers worked
with respective NPS interpretive rangers to use
distance learning technology and on-site visits
to learn more deeply about the history of one
another’s parks. Financial and operational support
for this program was provided by the Gettysburg
Foundation and the Appomattox 1865 Foundation,
while historic lessons and guided tours were
created and provided by NPS interpretive rangers
from Gettysburg National Military Park and
Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park.
Gettysburg Foundation Vice Chair of the Board
Barbara Finfrock with Appomattox students before
the Dedication Day Ceremony.
The new Be Our Guest programs, one for
local history teachers and another for school
administrators, were offered to support the
teaching of Civil War history with the Gettysburg
18
“LET US STRIVE ON”:
In the Footsteps of Leaders Leadership
Program Evolves
“I shall do all I can,” President Lincoln wrote to a
critic who had questioned his leadership during
the war, pledging to use his abilities to the utmost
to save the country. In 2015, the Gettysburg
Foundation’s In the Footsteps of Leaders
leadership program built on Lincoln’s aspirational
words by expanding its reach to more types
of organizations, and conducting more repeat
programs. The leaders of these groups traveled
to Gettysburg to participate in a comprehensive
learning experience in one of the greatest outdoor
classrooms on leadership in the world.
Clients for the forty-two sessions offered during
the year ranged from Fortune 500 companies
to government and nonprofit agencies to private
companies, and included, among many others,
Carnegie Mellon University, Crowe Horwath LLC,
Kimberly-Clark Corporation, the U.S. State
Department, and Chick-fil-A.
Leadership group at the Meade Equestrian Monument.
The Gettysburg Foundation invited representatives
from local businesses as well as media and travel
organizations to help showcase the program’s
offerings to a broader audience of individuals who
might not otherwise have access to the program.
The program was developed both for leaders with
substantial workplace experience and for students
in higher educational institutions striving to become
the leaders of the future. It has earned considerable
client loyalty—one client participated in its eighth
straight program. Attendees called the program
“thought-provoking, inspiring!” and one called it
“a wonderful and humbling experience [offering]
lessons in all kinds of leadership, communication,
and teamwork.”
A team of graduate students from Carnegie Mellon
University’s H. John Heinz III College were invited
to evaluate the program in early 2015 to give the
Foundation’s management team a higher-level
analysis of the leadership program from a fresh
perspective. The students assessed the program’s
structure, components, pricing, marketing materials,
and major competitors. They also interviewed
numerous clients and reviewed evaluations. Noting
that the program enjoys a large percentage of
return and referred clients, the Heinz College
students concluded that the highly customizable,
highly rated program remains among the most
affordable and unique programs among
competitors in the Gettysburg leadership field,
providing exclusive access to important historic
locations, including the Sherfy House and the
George Spangler Farm, and behind-the-scenes
educational opportunities at the Museum and
Visitor Center.
To continually assess and advance innovative
methods to shape the program, In the Footsteps of
Leaders retains special relationships with Lycoming
College, Lebanon Valley College, the University of
Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, and
Gettysburg College.
New in 2015 was the “Open Enrollment Leadership
Program,” an effort to make In the Footsteps of
Leaders available to individuals who might not have
larger groups or organization with which to attend.
19
THE VISITOR
EXPERIENCE
… a new birth of freedom …
Our Vision is for all audiences to feel welcomed, accepted, and inspired
to connect to the lessons of the battlefield and that interpretive, exhibit,
educational, and leadership offerings are relevant, fresh, engaging, and
accessible to existing and new visitors.
WINDOW TO GETTYSBURG:
in the Gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) certified building. They
can tour the eleven engaging exhibit galleries;
view the exclusive film A New Birth of Freedom,
narrated by Academy Award–winning actor Morgan
Freeman and sponsored by the History Channel;
and witness the Gettysburg Cyclorama, the largest
oil-on-canvas painting in North America, which
combines art and sound to depict the culmination
of Pickett’s Charge.
The Gettysburg National Military Park
Museum and Visitor Center
The only privately owned and operated museum
and visitor center in the national park system, the
Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and
Visitor Center continues to serve as a key portal
to the visitor’s experience. Whether it’s their first
visit or their tenth, visitors always find something
new to learn about or become acquainted with
20
The Foundation’s staff in the Museum and Visitor
Center have greeted more than eight million visitors
since its doors opened in 2008—including one
million visitors in 2015 alone. In addition, more than
100,000 students visit Gettysburg each year to tour
the battlefield and explore the Museum and Visitor
Center’s offerings.
A NAME WORTH REMEMBERING:
Social Media and Visitor
Accessibility Enhanced
For visitors today, social media, particularly
Facebook, are their first stop in planning a first
or a return visit—or simply a means of remaining
connected to the national parks at Gettysburg.
To better represent the organization and eliminate
confusion between the Foundation and the
Gettysburg National Military Park Facebook pages,
the Foundation changed its Facebook page name
from “Gettysburg National Military Park Museum
and Visitor Center” to “Gettysburg Foundation”
in 2015. To make the transition as seamless as
possible, Foundation social media staff highlighted
a different facet of the Foundation’s mission
and work each week, with posts focusing on
preservation projects, educational offerings,
membership benefits, opportunities to donate,
and more.
The Gettysburg Foundation introduced other social
media platforms as well in 2015. For the first time
ever, Foundation social media staff livestreamed
multiple programs straight from the battlefield
using Periscope. The programs proved to be an
immediate hit, with over 240 visitors watching
twenty-one broadcasts in six months.
The Foundation’s other social media accounts
continued to thrive. The Foundation’s Instagram
account grew by 167 percent in 2015, with over
3,400 total followers. Visitor photos were featured
each week on Instagram, which has proven to be
a large draw for new followers. The Foundation’s
Twitter account, which had previously been
auto-publishing posts from Facebook, became
a separate entity with unique content in 2015.
Twitter activity grew nearly 15 percent, with over
6,300 followers on the account. The Foundation’s
YouTube channel had over 44,000 views, with
visitors watching over 7,800 hours of Sacred Trust
talks and other videos.
In late October, the Foundation launched its first
blog, which detailed progress of the restoration
work at the George Spangler Farm. Although
visitors can only visit the Spangler Farm from
June through the middle of August each year, the
Foundation provided behind-the-scenes weekly
blog posts that highlighted the restoration work
taking place. Over 1,500 visitors read the blog
posts on related topics such as smokehouses,
roof shingles, root cellars, hinges, and nails.
21
ABOVE AND BEYOND:
Sacred Trust Talks and Book Signings
Expand
In July 2015, the Gettysburg Foundation and GETT
added a new and very well-received dimension
to the 11th Annual Sacred Trust Talks and Book
Signings event. A large crowd gathered for a Friday
night panel discussion by historians in the Museum
and Visitor Center Theater on the theme “How the
Veterans Told the Story of the War.” The traditional
highly acclaimed Sacred Trust program followed
over the next two days, with more than twenty
authors signing their books and leading talks
History came to life during Ford Family Day.
battlefield guides and GETT rangers, listened to
performances of Civil War music, ate free ice cream,
and lined up for the chance to wear replicas of Civil
War uniforms and dresses while parents snapped
photographs to share with family and friends.
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER UNVEILED:
A Presidential Paint and Wine Night
A new program held at Eisenhower National Historic
Site in October forged new community partnerships
while giving participants a look at a seldomexplored aspect of the 34th President of the
United States—Dwight D. Eisenhower as an artist.
Chris Gwinn, Supervisory Ranger for Interpretation and
Education at GETT leads a talk at the Sacred Trust Talks
and Book Signings event.
Sponsored by the Gettysburg
Foundation, EISE, and the
Adams County Arts Council,
A Presidential Paint and
Wine Night was developed
in response to the National
Park Service’s call for new
arts-related events with local
organizations. Attendees were
given a behind-the-scenes
Attendees used one of
Eisenhower’s original
tour of the Eisenhower home
that focused on the president’s paintings as inspiration
pieces of original art. Following while painting at the
historic farm.
the tour and refreshments,
participants created their own work on canvas,
duplicating one of Eisenhower’s paintings. The
sold-out event shed light on Eisenhower’s diverse
talents while offering local residents, most of whom
had never visited the site, the chance to visit the
only home Eisenhower ever owned.
revolving around the theme of “1865 and the end
of the American Civil War.” Attendees were treated
to presentations by highly regarded authors,
historians, and National Park Service interpretive
rangers.
FAMILY FIRST:
Ford Family Day Focuses on Education
Ford Family Day at the Museum and Visitor
Center on August 8 was a Saturday full of fun and
meaningful, educational activities for nearly 8,000
people of all ages. The Foundation and GETT
sponsored this second annual event through a
generous grant from the Ford Motor Company
Fund. During the event, every visitor received a
complimentary ticket to the Museum and Visitor
Center. Visitors of all ages enjoyed story time
readings by living historians in Civil War period
dress, participated in educational programs with
22
A NATION REMEMBERS:
152nd Dedication Day Observed
On November 19, the 152nd anniversary of
President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
was marked by a solemn ceremony sponsored by
the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania, Gettysburg
Foundation, Gettysburg National Military Park, and
Gettysburg College. The keynote speaker was
Garrison Keillor, the host and creator of A Prairie
Home Companion, a weekly national program
on more than 600 National Public Radio stations.
Mr. Keillor’s remarks focused on
the experiences of the common
soldiers, as he read from their
letters home, which reflected,
as he said, “the recognition that
the ordinary things of life had
become precious to them.”
Garrison Keillor
used the power
of soldiers’ letter
to humanize
the Battle of
Gettysburg in his
keynote address.
In less than 15 minutes Gettysburg Foundation
volunteers lit over 4,000 luminaries around the Soldiers’
National Cemetery.
candle at each of the 3,512 Civil War soldiers’
graves in the Soldiers’ National Cemetery.
Volunteers greeted guests, read the names of the
fallen soldiers for the thousands of visitors who
paid their respects, and served as the honor guard
at the Soldiers’ National Monument.
Inclement weather moved
the program indoors to the
Gettysburg College Union
Ballroom. In addition to the
customary recitation of the
Gettysburg Address, the
presentation of the colors,
hymns, and period music, U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration
Services sponsored sixteen
people who took the Oath
of Citizenship to become
naturalized citizens. Remarks
were also made by Gettysburg
Foundation President Joanne
Hanley and Gettysburg National
Military Park Superintendent
Ed Clark.
FRONT-ROW SEAT TO HISTORY:
Evening at the Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad
Station and the David Wills House
The Gettysburg Foundation and GETT sponsored
special free events at two landmark venues with
close ties to the events in 1863. On November 18,
the anniversary of the eve of President Lincoln’s
Gettysburg Address, visitors had the opportunity to
visit the railroad station and the David Wills House
in the early evening hours. The station served as
a hospital after the battle, and was the site where
Lincoln disembarked on his visit for the dedication
of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. Visitors were
able to tour David Wills’ office, where he oversaw
details of the creation of the cemetery and its
dedication, as well as the room where Lincoln
completed the Gettysburg Address the night before
he delivered it.
THE LAST FULL MEASURE:
13th Remembrance Day
Illumination Honors Soldiers
To honor the men of whom President Lincoln said,
“The world … can never forget what they did here,”
on November 21 the Gettysburg Foundation held
the 13th Annual Remembrance Illumination. More
than 230 Friends volunteers placed a luminary
23
Dr. Hamilton’s journal was featured in the Exhibit Spotlight.
In October, the second exhibit, Firmness,
Endurance, and Vigor: Brigadier General William
Barksdale and Dr. Alfred Hamilton at Gettysburg,
was unveiled. Barksdale was one of the battle’s
most noted Confederate commanders, and
Hamilton was the Pennsylvania physician who tried
to save the wounded general’s life. In a horrific
second-day clash with Union forces, Barksdale’s
Mississippians lost half their strength and Barksdale
fell mortally wounded. Artifacts such as the .58
caliber bullet removed from Barksdale and
Dr. Hamilton’s journal bring to life one of the battle’s
most moving stories about how the paths of two
men with two very different ideologies crossed.
This exhibit was made possible through the
generosity and collections of W. Craig Bashein,
Captain Steven W. Knott, the American Civil War
Museum, and the collection of the National Park
Service.
PORTRAITS IN POSTERITY:
New Exhibit Debuts
The Gettysburg Foundation introduced a new
free exhibit display area, called Exhibit Spotlight,
that connects soldiers, civilians, and generals
from the Battle of Gettysburg with artifacts and the
Gettysburg battlefield. Through their Gettysburg
experience, visitors have the opportunity to follow
the journey of the people featured in the exhibit,
watching the story unfold as they explore the
connections found both in the Museum exhibit
and on the battlefield. The Exhibit Spotlight will
display a new theme every six months.
A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING:
Museum and Visitor Center Rentals
and Events Expand
In March 2015, the first
exhibit (left), A Faithful
and Efficient General:
The Military Service of
General Albion Howe,
debuted, featuring
previously unseen
artifacts from the
general’s career.
A division commander
in the Union Army’s
6th Corps at the Battle of Gettysburg, Howe
served as a member of the military tribunal that
convicted President Lincoln’s conspirators, and
he participated in the honor guard that watched
over Lincoln’s body after his death—particularly
meaningful for visitors during the 150th anniversary
of Lincoln’s assassination in 2015. The general’s
presentation sword and a framed photograph
of the tribunal, among other artifacts, were
highlighted. This exhibit was made possible
through the generosity of a private collection.
More individuals and groups than ever chose the
Museum and Visitor Center and other Gettysburg
Foundation venues, such as the Gettysburg Lincoln
Railroad Station, as a perfect backdrop to rent for
their private events,
parties, weddings,
and receptions.
At the Museum and
Visitor Center, up to
five hundred guests
can be entertained at
beautiful and elegant
affairs. In 2015, thirtyfour events were held,
with more than four
The Visitor Center is
thousand guests
attending. During the decorated for an event.
year, the Foundation also saw a growing interest
in inquiries for wedding space, a direct result of
website-based marketing for events and bridal
showcases.
24
CENTENNIAL OF SERVICE:
Other Special Events and Programs
Licensed Battlefield Guides Celebrate
100th Anniversary
BETTER TOGETHER:
Foundation and GETT Host National Park
Friends Alliance Conference
The Licensed Battlefield Guides are a long-standing
partner in tours and interpretive programs at
GETT. They celebrated a century of service at
a Centennial banquet in the Museum and Visitor
Center held on October 17, 2015—100 years to the
day after the first licensed guided tour was given
at GETT.
The National Park Friends Alliance was formed
over twenty years ago by leaders of Friends
groups to share information on how to make their
partnerships with national parks more effective. The
organization has grown significantly over the years
to meet the increasing emphasis on public-private
partnerships in the NPS. The Alliance meets twice a
year to share information, learn about NPS policies,
advance partnership and philanthropic ideas,
and discuss models for problem-solving between
Friends groups and the NPS. In October 2015,
the Gettysburg Foundation and GETT hosted the
conference, which was attended by 104 participants
who traveled to Gettysburg from parks across
the country to learn the most current partnership
practices, success stories, and challenges.
A highlight of the program was the compelling
presentation given by Foundation President
Joanne Hanley and GETT Superintendent Ed Clark
on “Gettysburg: Partnership in Action,” which
showcased the highly successful public-private
partnership between the Foundation and GETT,
and the amazing work that has been accomplished
in nearly 27 years.
The dinner and program was held at the Museum and
Visitor Center.
Co-sponsored by the Gettysburg Foundation and
GETT, the event commemorated the contributions
of this special professional organization of guides
licensed by GETT. More than 200 guides and their
guests attended. Certificates of commendation
issued by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
General Assembly were read, and reminiscences
and a special slide show capturing images
of guides at work on the hallowed ground at
Gettysburg capped this emotional and moving
event. In December, a plaque was mounted in the
Museum and Visitor Center honoring the guides’
exceptional interpretive service.
Participants had the opportunity to tour successful
Foundation and GETT partnership projects such
as the George Spangler Farm, the Gettysburg
Lincoln Railroad Station, Cemetery Ridge, the
Armory, and the Cannon Carriage Restoration
Shop. Our business partners—Gettysburg Tours,
Event Network, and Aramark—were sponsors of
the conference, and representatives from each
gave remarks on the value and impact of having
such successful business partners.
The National Park
Friends Alliance Group.
25
FINANCIALS
… summary statement of activities …
YEAR-ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
Unrestricted
REVENUE AND OTHER SUPPORT
Contributions
Museum admissions
Battlefield tours
Bookstore and refreshments
Membership dues income
Event and other income
Net assets released from restrictions
Total Revenue and Other Support
EXPENSES
Program Services
Museum and Visitor Center operations
Gettysburg National Military Park
Programs
Total Program Services
Management and general
Fundraising
Total Expenses
Excess (Deficiency) of Revenue
and Support Over Expenses
GAINS AND LOSSES AND
LOSS ON RATE SWAP
CHANGES IN NET ASSETS
$
934,800
5,299,407
3,363,032
2,366,357
759,869
641,884
1,061,920
$14,427,269
$ 10,171,394
3,142,517
664,941
$13,978,852
747,740
1,669,941
$16,396,533
Restricted
Total
$ 1,087,695
$ 2,022,495
5,299,407
3,363,032
2,366,357
759,869
641,884
–
$14,453,044
(1,061,920)
$ 25,775
$
–
$
–
10,171,394
3,142,517
664,941
$ 13,978,852
747,740
1,669,941
$ 16,396,533
(1,969,264)
25,775
(1,943,489)
(561,750)
(20,241)
(581,991)
5,534
$(2,525,480)
$ (2,531,014)
26
$
$
… summary of financial position …
YEAR-ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2015
ASSETS
Cash
Investments held in trust
Investments
Promises to give, net
Property and equipment, net
$ 4,063,314
5,618,731
2,518,747
703,289
79,951,023
Other assets
Total Assets
868,870
$93,723,974
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
Liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued expenses
Notes payable
Deferred service contract revenues
Bonds payable
Value of interest rate swap agreement
Other liabilities
Total Liabilities
$ 2,067,494
635,577
1,557,292
12,055,000
2,676,678
461,738
$ 19,453,779
Net Assets
Unrestricted
Temporarily restricted
Permanently restricted
Total Net Assets
61,515,380
2,810,810
9,944,005
$ 74,270,195
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS
$93,723,974
27
… 2015 revenues …
Membership
Dues Income
Event and
Other Income
5%
Contributions
14%
5%
Bookstore and
Refreshments
16%
Museum
Admissions
Battlefield
Tours
37%
23%
… 2015 expenses …
Fundraising
Management
and General
10%
5%
Programs
4%
Museum and
Visitor Center
Operations
Gettysburg
National
Military Park
62%
19%
28
SUPPORTER
RECOGNITION
… thank you for your generous support …
1863 SOCIETY
GETTYSBURG SOCIETY
$1,863 to $4,999
$5,000 and above
Dr. William E. Aldrich
Ms. Ann Griffith Ash
Mr. & Mrs. Jack R. Beighley
Mr. & Mrs. Daniel Bringman
Mr. & Mrs. Clifford H. Brown
Mr. & Mrs. Robert P. Bozzone
Mr. Richard Canty & Ms. Hope Woodhouse
Mr. Edward W. Clark, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. David R. Cooper
Ms. Linda DePascale
Mr. & Mrs. John M. DiSanto, Sr.
Mr. Jeffrey C. Hall
Mr. Walt Harlow
Ms. Cynthia D. Hill
Mr. & Mrs. Warren J. Kennedy
Mr. James Francis Lavelle
Mr. & Mrs. David R. Lincoln
Mr. & Mrs. Richard A. Morin
Mr. Brien M. O’Brien & Ms. Mary Hastens
Mr. Glenn Plummer
Mr. & Mrs. William H. Simpson
Mr. & Mrs. Jed Smith
Mr. & Mrs. Bob Sneed
Mr. & Mrs. Cyrus W. Spurlino
Mr. Theodore J. Stimach
Mr. & Mrs. James R. Tilling
Mr. Shanon R. Toal, Jr.
Mr. Barry L. Tobias
Mr. Michael J. Travis & Ms. Renee Kwok
Mr. & Mrs. Wesley W. von Schack
Dr. & Mrs. Edmond C. Watters
Dr. & Mrs. Robert C. Wilburn
Mr. & Mrs. Timothy K. Woofter
Anonymous
Mr. Louis J. Appell, Jr.
Mr. John W. Bassett
Mrs. Lisa Berman
Dr. David L. Black & Congresswoman Diane Black
Mr. & Mrs. Carl W. Borntraeger
Mr. & Mrs. Anthony P. Campisi
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Conrad
Mr. & Mrs. William H. Crabbin
Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Diller, Jr.
Mr. & Mrs. Beverly M. DuBose, III
Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey A. Frazier
Mr. Robert Geneczko
Mr. & Mrs. Matthew W. Hanley
Mr. James R. Hanni
Mr. & Mrs. David D. Hartman
Mr. Richard L. Hauschild, Jr.
Mr. Michael S. Higgins
Mr. A. J. Kazimi
Mr. & Mrs. H. F. Lenfest
Ms. Jacqueline B. Mars
Capt. Henry E. Marx
Mrs. Margaret McDermott
Dr. & Mrs. James M. McPherson
Mr. & Mrs. Seward Prosser Mellon
Ms. Marcia A. Musial*
Mr. Thomas A. Petrie
Mr. Paul “Mickey” Pohl
Ms. Barbara Sardella & Mr. Stephen Dengler
Ms. Shirley M. Sontheimer
Mr. & Mrs. Wayne H. Valis
*Denotes Deceased
29
LINCOLN’S CABINET
M&T Bank Corporation
Mark B. and Jean G. Higgins Foundation
Mars Foundation
National Park Foundation
National Park Service
R. K. Mellon Family Foundation
Robert H. Smith Family Foundation
Sumner T. McKnight Foundation
Tawani Foundation
The Donald B. and Dorothy L. Stabler Foundation
The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation
The Sontheimer Foundation, Inc.
$10,000 and above annually for 5 years
Anonymous (3)
Mr. & Mrs. W. Craig Bashein
Miss Evelyn L. Booth
Ms. Linda M. Boxx
Mr. James R. Craigie
Ms. Barbara J. Finfrock
Mr. & Mrs. Robert A. Kinsley
Mr. H. Turney McKnight
Mr.* & Mrs. Thomas E. Metz
Mr. & Mrs. William H. Parker
Mr. & Mrs. David F. Remington
Mr. & Mrs. Jeffrey R. Rodek
Mr. & Mrs. Eric B. Schultz
Mr. & Mrs. Robert J. Stevens
Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Wilson
GUARDIANS’ SOCIETY
Those who have chosen to remember the
Gettysburg Foundation in their estate plans
Dr. William E. Aldrich
Mr. Scott Biggar
Dr. & Mrs. Ted Chamberlain
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Conrad
Mr. & Mrs. Charles H. Diller, Jr., Chair
Mr. & Mrs. James Dougherty
Drs. Sandra Ehnen & Stephen Dreyfuss
Ms. Barbara J. Finfrock
Ms. Patricia E. Fowler & Mr. Stephen J. Borys
Capt. Joan R. Hankey, USN (Ret)
Drs. William & Natalie Hoffman
Mr. Art Hoffner
Ms. Barbara Hyland
Ms. Sharon Jackson
Mr. & Mrs. Larry S. Johnston
Mr. & Mrs. Donald R. Kunzen
Mr. & Mrs. Gregory Luginski
Mr. Joseph L. Oreszko
Mr. Douglas M. Peck
Ms. Veronica J. Pinto
Mr. John Reynolds
Mr. Bill Steger
Mr. John D. Talbot
Ms. Carol Truesdale
Mr. & Mrs. Jon R. Winkler
IN HONOR
$1,863 and above
Princeton University Class of 1972,
in honor of Dr. James M. McPherson
FOUNDATIONS, CORPORATIONS, AND
ORGANIZATIONS
$5,000 and above
Aramark
Brobyn Charitable Trust
Courtney Babcock Borntraeger Foundation
Craig & Deborah Cogut Foundation, Inc.
Event Network
F. M. Kirby Foundation, Inc.
Ford Motor Company Fund
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg Tours
Glatfelter Insurance Group
Glencairn Foundation
Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation
Kazimi Advised Funds of The Community
Foundation of Middle Tennessee
Kinsley Foundation
30
DIRECTORS
and COUNCILS
… thank you for your leadership …
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Officers
Robert A. Kinsley, Chair
Chairman and CEO
Kinsley Construction, Inc.
York, PA
Joanne M. Hanley, President
Gettysburg Foundation
Gettysburg, PA
James R. Craigie
Non-Executive Chairman
Church and Dwight Co., Inc.
Ewing, NJ
H. Turney McKnight
President, Sumner T. McKnight
Foundation
Havre de Grace, MD
Susan Eisenhower
President
The Eisenhower Institute
Washington, DC
Dr. James M. McPherson
Professor Emeritus, Department
of History
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ
Barbara J. Finfrock, Vice Chair
Gettysburg Foundation
Gettysburg, PA
John H. Estey
Executive Vice-President
for Administration
Hershey Trust Company
Hershey, PA
Barbara Sardella,
Secretary to the Board
General Counsel
Kinsley Construction, Inc.
York, PA
Jeffrey A. Frazier
EVP and Chief Human
Strategy Officer
The Medicines Company
Parsippany, NJ
Shanon R. Toal, Jr., Treasurer
Vice President
Branch Bank and Trust
Hanover, PA
Brig. Gen. David L. Grange,
USA (Ret)
President, Osprey Global Solutions
Wilmington, NC
Directors
W. Craig Bashein
President
Bashein and Bashein Co., LPA
Cleveland, OH
Kent Masterson Brown
Attorney-at-Law
Law Offices of Kent Masterson
Brown
Lexington, KY
Linda McKenna Boxx
Chairman
Katherine Mabis McKenna
Foundation
Latrobe, PA
Dr. Peter Carmichael
Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies
and Director, Civil War Institute
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA
James R. Hanni
Executive Vice President,
Public Affairs
AAA Allied Group, Inc.
Topeka, KS
David D. Hartman
President, Wickford Junction
Durham, NC
Michael S. Higgins
Wild Wing Farm
Wexford, PA
Ervin L. Jordan, Jr.
Associate Professor and
Research Archivist
University of Virginia, Small
Special Collections Library
Charlottesville, VA
Sandra S. Mellon
Ligonier, PA
Dr. Carol Reardon
George Winfree Professor
of American History
Penn State Laureate 2015 – 2016
Pennsylvania State University
State College, PA
Dr. Janet Morgan Riggs
President, Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA
Eric B. Schultz
Executive Chairman, Hubcast, Inc.
Venture Partner, Ascent
Venture Program
Boxford, MA
George F. Will
FOX Television News Analyst
Washington, DC
Directors Emeriti
Dr. Gabor S. Boritt
Director Emeritus, Civil War Institute
Gettysburg College
Gettysburg, PA
LTG (Ret) Daniel W. Christman
Senior Counsel to the President
United States Chamber
of Commerce
Washington, DC
Beverly (Bo) DuBose, III
Atlanta, GA
*Denotes Deceased
31
Kay O’Rourke*
Odessa, FL
David F. Remington
Cape Neddick, ME
Mr. Adam Goodheart
Director, C. V. Starr Center of the
Study of the American Experience
Washington College
The Honorable Dick Thornburgh
Of Counsel, Kirkpatrick & Lockhart
Preston Gates Ellis, LLP
Washington, DC
Dr. Lesley Gordon
Professor of History
Editor, Civil War History
University of Akron
Wesley W. von Schack
Carmel, CA
Mr. Scott Hartwig
Retired Supervisory Historian
Gettysburg National Military Park
Dr. Robert C. Wilburn
President Emeritus,
Gettysburg Foundation
Principal, The Wilburn Group
Miami Beach, FL
Mr. Harold Holzer
Director, Roosevelt House Public
Policy Institute
Hunter College
HISTORIANS’ COUNCIL
Dr. Gordon Jones
Director, Exhibits and Collections
Atlanta History Center
Dr. William A. Blair
Professor of American History;
Director, George and Ann Richards
Civil War Era Center
Penn State University
Prof. Ervin L. Jordan, Jr.
Associate Professor and
Research Archivist
University of Virginia, Small
Special Collections Library
Dr. Gabor S. Boritt
Director Emeritus, Civil War Institute
Gettysburg College
Mr. Lewis Lehrman
Co-founder
Gilder Lehrman Institute of
American History
Mr. Kent Masterson Brown
Author
Lexington, KY
Dr. Michael Burlingame
Chancellor Naomi B. Lynn
Distinguished Chair in
Lincoln Studies
University of Illinois Springfield
Mr. Ken Burns
Director and Producer
Florentine Films
Dr. Peter Carmichael
Fluhrer Professor of Civil War Studies
and Director, Civil War Institute
Gettysburg College
Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust
President
Harvard University
Dr. Gary W. Gallagher
John L. Nau, III, Professor in the
History of the American Civil War
University of Virginia
Dr. Thavolia Glymph
Associate Professor, African
and African American Studies
and History
Duke University
Dr. Louis P. Masur
Professor of American Studies
and History
Rutgers University
Dr. James M. McPherson
Professor Emeritus, Department
of History
Princeton University
Mr. Wayne E. Motts
Chief Executive Officer
National Civil War Museum
Dr. Matthew Pinsker
Associate Professor of History
and Pohanka Chair in American
Civil War History
Dickinson College
Ms. Elizabeth Brown Pryor*
Author
Richmond, VA
Dr. Carol A. Reardon
George Winfree Professor of
American History in the College
of Liberal Arts and 2015–2016
Penn State University Laureate
Penn State University
Dr. Aaron Sheehan-Dean
Eberly Professor of Civil War Studies
West Virginia University
Dr. Nina Silber
Professor of History
Boston University
Dr. Brooks Simpson
Foundation Professor, Arizona
State University
Associate Director, Center for the
Study of Race and Democracy
Dr. Robert Sutton
Chief Historian
National Park Service
Mr. James L. Swanson
Senior Legal Scholar
The Heritage Foundation
Dr. Susannah J. Ural
Associate Professor
University of Southern Mississippi
Dr. Joan Waugh
Associate Professor of History
University of California, Los Angeles
(UCLA)
Hon. Frank J. Williams
Chief Justice (Ret.)
Rhode Island Supreme Court
NATIONAL COUNCIL
Mr. & Mrs. J. Gordon Beittenmiller
Mr. & Mrs. William S. Carter
Mr. Art Crivella
Mr. John F. Donahue
Mr. James Duratz
Mr.* & Mrs. Derek C. Hathaway
Mr. & Mrs. Donald R. Just
Mr. & Mrs. Edward R. McPherson
Mr.* & Mrs. Thomas E. Metz
Mr. Douglas N. Morton &
Ms. Marilyn Brown
Mr. & Mrs. John L. Nau, III
Mr. & Mrs. William H. Parker
Dean Kurt L. Schmoke
Mr. & Mrs. Richard P. Simmons
Mr. David Bruce Smith
Mr. & Mrs. James A. Thomas
Ms. Sandra E. Ulsh
Mr. Sam Waterston
Mr. Eric Weider
Mr. & Mrs. Robert S. Wilson
Mr. Richard B. Worley &
Ms. Leslie A. Miller
*Denotes Deceased
32
IN MEMORIAM
James A. Getty
For more than four decades, Illinois native, teacher,
and veteran James A. Getty made the portrayal of
President Abraham Lincoln his life’s work. Mr. Getty
studied the sixteenth president and infused his
knowledge into more than 500 presentations each
year for visitors to Gettysburg and at organizations
throughout the United States, including the Ronald
Reagan Presidential Library. His annual recitation of
the Gettysburg Address during Dedication Day in
the Soldiers’ National Cemetery made him an icon.
Gettysburg and generations of Lincoln students and
admirers lost an inspirational force when Mr. Getty
passed away on September 26, 2015, but the
echoes of his devotion to the study of the American
Civil War and Abraham Lincoln will long resonate.
Photo courtesy of Tami A. Heilemann, Department of the Interior
1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, PA 17325 | 717.338.1243 | www.gettysburgfoundation.org