POY Nominee: Cindy Dysart — Preserving the past

Weston County is lucky to have Cindy Dysart as the director of the Weston County Museum District, according to board President Kasey Keeler and Vice President Bernie Terry.

Dysart, who has been the director since 2021, is hardworking, humble, kind, welcoming and dedicated, Keeler said.

“When you go to the museum, you’re just as likely to find her cleaning or pulling weeds as you are working on the budget or going through the archives to help a visitor with a research project,” Keeler said. “She does whatever it takes, and regardless of what she’s doing, she greets everyone who comes in the door with a smile.”

Dysart is committed to finding new ways to attract more people to visit the museums and related events, according to Keeler.

Lucas Keeler, the Wyoming Historical Society executive committee’s first vice president, said Dysart has been improving the district’s public outreach. He said Dysart’s ideas, such as oral presentations, are creative and bring “some fresh air” to the county’s museums.

Dysart developed the oral history program, where she helps community members share their stories, which are recorded and preserved at the museum for anyone to listen to, Kasey Keeler said.

“Most of the people who participate in this program are older folks, and capturing their stories while we still can is just as important — maybe even more so — than preserving physical artifacts,” she said. “I think that Cindy enjoys learning new things and visiting with people, and she’s really good at making everyone feel welcome and that their stories are worth preserving.”

Dysart said the oral histories are her favorite museum district events because they’re an opportunity to capture people’s stories.

“It is so important to preserve those stories because once the person is gone, the story is gone,” she said.

In the first quarter of 2025, event plans for the Anna Miller Museum in Newcastle include having Mark Tubbs provide an oral history on his family and Tubb Town.

The “Pioneering on the Patio” programs, which teach skills of the past, are her second favorite, and another new program that Dysart has facilitated is the “hugely popular” historic fashion show that highlights pieces from the Anna Miller Museum’s extensive collection of historical clothing that is otherwise preserved in storage, Keeler said. Not only is this a public education opportunity — it’s a fun way to thank donors and to “make history come alive.”

In the first fashion show, Dysart convinced Ann McColley’s granddaughter Roberta to model a wedding dress worn by an ancestor of McColley, Keeler said.

“I’m not sure Ann actually knew the museum had that dress, but it was really special to be able to pull it out of the archives and thank the family in such a public way for that amazing donation,” Keeler said.

Keeler said she believes McColley was “really touched” to see Roberta wear the spectacular dress, which is in great condition.

“That’s obviously a big part of the museum’s mission — preserving local history and keeping objects safe,” Keeler said. “But people also want to see the artifacts they’ve donated, and programs like the fashion show help do that in a way that’s different than a traditional museum display.”

One of the major changes in 2023 for the district was relocating the Red Onion Museum from a house on a side street in Upton to Upton’s Old Town, which is on U.S. Highway 16, and Dysart was one of the many people who helped make the move possible, Terry said.

She “jumped right in” and was “a godsend” for acquiring the building and smoothing the transition to the location that is more prominent and easier for people with mobility challenges to visit after the museum outgrew the donated house that was its former home.

“Right now, we’ve had more people probably at the Red Onion than we have the Anna Miller here in Newcastle, which I think is just great,” Terry said.

The district’s board is considering expanding the Anna Miller Museum too, according to Dysart.

Lucas Keeler said he calls Dysart almost every week to ask her questions for research he’s doing for books or history projects, and she’s always receptive, friendly and helpful.

“No matter how hare-brained or crazy of an idea I have, she’s pretty gung-ho and gets right on it for me,” he said. “That’s kind of nice to have somebody like that on the local level that takes interest in history projects and wants to learn more because I think that could probably be a dead-end or dull job to some people, but she’s always looking to expand her knowledge or ideas for the museum.”

Every year, Dysart identifies a new subject related to local history that might be interesting for grade school children, in the Living History Days program, Lucas Keeler noted.

Dysart said she strives to make both museums more welcoming environments through tasks that range from painting and landscaping to digitizing audio files and visiting with patrons.

Lucas serves with her on the Weston County Preservation Board, and said the two of them are working to digitize homesteaders’ and Newcastle founders’ interviews on old, fragile audio tapes and reel-to-reel tapes. They were in boxes, but the duo wants them available to the public.

The grounds at the Anna Miller Museum are immaculate, thanks to Dysart and her helpers, who upgrade and paint the signs and “keep up the buildings.” They also are available to help people who stop in seeking to learn the history of their family.

“She’s even taken people to other towns so that individuals can give their family history,” Terry said. “I mean, gee whiz, people don’t need to do that, but she’s always going that extra mile to help people, and you don’t find that very often.”

Dysart said the Person of the Year award should include all WCMD staff and board because they all work together. She attributes the success of the programs to staff, families and the board.

“The Person of the Year recognition is a great honor and I appreciate being nominated; however, the Lord leads me and I’m just working for Him. I just try to do my job to the best of my ability,” Dysart said. “I make mistakes all the time and try to learn from them; sometimes it takes lots of trials. We are blessed that our community is filled with people that are community oriented and always willing to help others.”

Dysart said she enjoys spending time with her grandchildren and working in the garden, even though she says she’s not “a green thumb.” She’s grateful to live in rural Wyoming.