By Micah Choquette
The board meeting for the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum was probably like any other meeting of the board responsible for the management and funding of the classic car museum, but this one started a bit differently.
As the board members gathered around the conference table, a few more people filed in, including Tom McGahan, who got everyone’s attention.
“I really wanted to come be a part of this because I wanted to find some car guys,” he said. He went on to talk about the success of recent projects like the 1922 Packard restoration or the multiple recent additions to the museum, such as the new sign on the south side of the building.
“We heard that you guys wanted to put our names on the cornerstone of the new expansion,” he said. “We just appreciate that so much.”
McGahan then handed out to each board member, hand-crafted wooden pens as a token of their appreciation to keeping the museum open and giving “car guys” a place to enjoy their favorite pastime.
Board member Bryant Coffman expressed his gratitude, and said it really should be the other way around. “We should be thanking you,” he said.
McGahan maintained that it’s a team effort and that the board deserves credit for keeping the lights on. “There are the things that we can all see, and then there are the things we don’t see, and we appreciate the work that you guys put into this museum,” he said.
The Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum is open from Tuesday through Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm, and on Sundays from Noon to 4 pm. For more information, visit heartofroute66.org
