photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Porter Arneill, the city of Lawrence’s assistant director of Parks, Recreation, Arts & Culture, talks to the Douglas County Commission on Wednesday, June 10, 2026, about the Public Servants Past & Present Tribute Gallery project.

Throughout his more than 30 years of working in government, one thing Porter Arneill has observed about public employees is their humility.

“Most of my peers are very humble people, and they don’t like the limelight,” said Arneill, Lawrence’s assistant director of Parks, Recreation, Arts & Culture. And for America’s 250th anniversary, he hopes to give them some of the recognition they don’t always seek for themselves.

He and the city are working with Douglas County, the Watkins Museum of History and the Dole Institute of Politics to create a photo display for the city’s July 4 Summerfest celebration at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. It’s called the Public Servants Past & Present Tribute Gallery, and it’s currently accepting photo submissions; anyone who has been in a public service role in Douglas County is eligible to be featured in it.

Some of the many people that includes are police, fire and EMS responders, public school and university staff, military service members, veterans and library and museum staff. And employees don’t have to have worked for a city government or the county – state and federal employees who live in Douglas County can be recognized, too.

“There’s really no requirements other than somebody has worked as a public service member and lives now in Douglas County,” Arneill said.

Submissions have been open for a few weeks, but Arneill said only about 30 to 50 photos had been submitted so far – something he attributes to public servants’ modesty.

Will Haynes, the Watkins Museum’s deputy director for public engagement, said people can submit photos of themselves, or they can recognize someone they know – a family member, a friend or a colleague. “I know that there’s a movement at the county and the city levels to reach out there and submit people who are currently working or used to work for the city and the county,” he said.

Along with the photos, people are asked to provide some biographical information on when the person served and what their job was. Once the photos are in, Arneill said a designer will put them together into a banner that can go on display.

The idea of collecting the photos began when the city’s usual artisan fair at Summerfest fell through, Arneill said. Because Summerfest is actually on the July 4 holiday this year, the city couldn’t find enough artisans willing to participate, so they had an empty building at the fairgrounds they could use.

Together with the county, the Watkins Museum and the Dole Institute of Politics, “we just sort of brainstormed this idea of paying tribute to our public service members past and present,” Arneill said.

Haynes said the photos will “run the gamut of all eras of history up to the present day.” He said the museum will be contributing photos from its archives of Civil War veterans, people in local law enforcement in the 1800s and 1900s, educators and more.

photo by: Courtesy of the Douglas County Historical Society

These are two of the photos the Watkins Museum of History is contributing to the Douglas County Public Servants Past & Present Tribute Gallery. At left is Lucy Woodward, one of Lawrence’s first schoolteachers in the 1860s, and at right is Sam Jeans, a city marshal and detective who worked in Lawrence around the turn of the century.

“Douglas County and Lawrence started in 1854,” Haynes said. “And right from the beginning, we had people who were committed to defending our community from the proslavery elements out there, or committed to educating children. All these sorts of things, right from the beginning up to the present.”

Haynes said that even at this “fractured and divided” moment in American history, the importance of public service should be something that all Americans can agree on.

“It doesn’t really matter where you are on the political spectrum,” Haynes said. “… No matter what your beliefs are, pretty much all of us understand that folks who work for the common good deserve our respect.”

Those wishing to have photos featured in the exhibit at Summerfest should plan on submitting them by June 20 at publicservantstribute.douglascountykshistory.org. But Arneill said the site will stay open for more submissions even after that.

The hope is that people will continue adding their photos, and that the exhibit can be displayed again in the years to come, growing and recognizing more and more public servants each time.

“It touches my heart that so many of my peers are very humble about the work that they do, and that they’re not seeking recognition,” Arneill said. “And what I want to convey to them is, they’re part of such a big force that has been vital to our communities, and that’s what we’re trying to show. So, it isn’t about the individuals. It’s about the bigger impact, which has been going on for hundreds of years.”

Summerfest is free and starts at 4 p.m. Saturday, July 4, at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. In addition to the tribute gallery, the Watkins Museum will be bringing traveling exhibits about Native American sovereignty, disability rights and women’s suffrage, Haynes said. The celebration will also feature food vendors, live music and a drone show. To learn more, visit lawrenceks.gov/prc/summerfest.