Monday, May 21, 2012
Unsung Hero: Gayle Klam
CARBONDALE - For more than 25 years, Gayle Klam has made volunteerism part of her everyday life. She says arts and culture bring a certain richness to life, and she's making yet another contribution to the area through a new exhibit at SIU.
The University Museum now houses a traveling exhibit from the Smithsonian Institution. "The Way We Worked" is one of many special projects Gayle has helped organize for southern Illinois. "You'll come through it with a different perspective on the importance of work and how we Americans might be different than other countries in how we look at work," Gayle says. Gayle knows all about hard work, especially from a volunteer perspective. She's spent more than a quarter century giving back through groups like the League of Women Voters, WSIU Public Broadcasting and Carbondale Community Arts. CCA Executive Director Nancy Stemper describes Gayle as one with "boundless energy, endless curiosity, and a generosity of spirit that is really unparalleled in this day and age." "She just kind of grows on you," says CCA member David Coracy. "She gets you motivated, she gets you involved. She kind of pumps you up and draws you in." It's that passion that has inspired many volunteers to join Gayle in projects throughout the area. "For us to accomplish our goals of bringing arts to southern Illinois- we absolutely need a lot of volunteers," says CCA President Carolyn Snyder. Along with Gayle's commitment to the arts is a fascination with history. She knows exhibits like this- showing why, where, and how Americans work- will be something the whole region can appreciate. "I like peeling away the mystery and finding what I can find about things I know nothing about," says Gayle. But this life-long learner has a philosophy everyone can take a lesson from... "You take from a community, and so you need to put your part in to make it a better place for everyone." The Smithsonian traveling exhibit- "The Way We Worked"- opens October 1, and runs through November 12 at SIU's University Museum. The event includes local history as well. |
Marion Regional
Current: 64°
Partly Cloudy
High: 66°
Low: 64°
Wind:
0 MPH
Pressure:
0.00
Humidity:
100 %
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled.
Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.
What's on WSILTV Full ScheduleOn Demand |
