To the editor:

Almost 29 years ago, I and my wife, Frances, became members of the Douglas County Historical Society and, because I have a strong interest in history, I became a continuing and regular volunteer at the Watkins Community Museum of History, which had recently been opened in the old Watkins Bank building. In the early days of this long tenure, I served on various committees and boards of the society and museum, including the board of directors.

On Aug. 19, I turned in my building key and my parking permit — I quit. Why? When I say “quit,” it means all connection with the museum, including financial support. The reason was the summary dismissal on Aug. 14 of longtime employee Judy Sweets without any prior notification or severance pay and no expressed cause.

I would like to include a brief summary of Sweets’ qualifications and service, as I see them. She earned a master’s degree in historical administration and museum studies at Kansas University. In my estimation, she was well-qualified for museum work and always served the public and the museum well. She spent much time preparing small exhibits for the museum and became quite competent in writing grant requests to pay for major exhibits. Over the years, she gave many overtime hours to the museum without extra pay. And, in my opinion, “for the good of the museum” was always uppermost in her thoughts.

As I leave the museum, I wonder about its future. Somehow, I fear the word “community” will become less significant.

John and Fran Peterson,

Lawrence