Medal of Honor Museum Updates
Medal of Honor Museum Curator, Tim Hicks.
GAINESVILLE - Upon visiting NCTC’s main campus in Gainesville, TX, you may notice work on the long-awaited Medal of Honor Museum construction appears to be nearing completion. As the most patriotic small town in America, organizations across Gainesville have partnered to make this dream a reality. As a longtime partner in the Medal of Honor Host City Program, NCTC Gainesville campus is proud to be the home of this MOH museum. Funding for the museum was secured through generous donations and by the Medal of Honor Host City Program, City of Gainesville, and that State of Texas.
Visiting with students, sharing the stories of the Medal of Honor recipients and those whom they served alongside, is a long-standing tradition for the Medal of Honor recipients. NCTC held an official groundbreaking ceremony for this museum in April of 2022, now construction is nearing completion and there are hopes that the museum will open in August 2024.
Each year the Medal of Honor program meets MOH recipients at DFW airport and escorts them with a seven-mile-long motorcade to Gainesville. Along the way, bridges, overpasses, and stretches of road lined with cheering people welcome our heroes. Activities throughout the Medal of Honor week include recipients attending a tree dedication along the Home-Grown Hero Walking Trail, MOH recipients visit the local Gainesville school district to share their stories and encourage students to contribute to our country in their own way, MOH recipients attend a luncheon and meet with students at North Central Texas College, recipients are honored at the annual Medal of Honor Banquet, and recipients participate in a full military parade.
The Medal of Honor Museum officially has a curator on staff, Tim Hicks. Tim has a Bachelor of Science of Anthropology from Eastern New Mexico University and a Master of Arts of Museum Science from Texas Tech University and has worked for museums in the past including the Museum of Texas Tech University and the George Ranch Historical Park. Tim remarked that he knew that Gainesville was the Medal of Honor host city but “never realized all of the various events that take place for the Medal of Honor recipients and their families in April” and that he looks forward to attending these events and meeting the Medal of Honor recipients.
When asked of his vision and hopes for the Medal of Honor Museum were, Tim stated “My hope for the Museum is that it becomes a place for people to understand the Medal of Honor and its recipients including their life story. It will be a place for the recipients to share their stories including pre and post military life through engaging exhibits and programs for the public and students.”
Medal of Honor Museum Receives Additional Funds from Texas Legislative Session
North Central Texas College and the Medal of Honor Host City got some great news out of the 88th Texas Legislative Session. At the conclusion of the regular session, they were notified that they received another $5 million for the completion of the Medal of Honor Host City Museum on the NCTC campus in Gainesville. Original plans for the museum brought the project to completion just shy of $5 million in 2020. Post Covid, with rising inflation and construction cost skyrocketing, the new finished price came in at $7.6 million. Realizing the project was not going to be able to be completed as originally planned, the architects of the project looked for ways to bring the museum back closer to a $5 million completion.
Original Medal of Honor Museum renderings.
A new strategy was developed with alternate components with pricing for each missing piece of the originally designed museum. When the contract was let for construction, they had a $5.17 million contract. The MOHHC began fundraising to try to add as many of the missing elements of the museum back as possible. Meanwhile Mayor Tommy Moore was reaching out to our state legislators during the 88th legislative session to ask for the additional $2.6 to finish the project as originally planned.
When the final budget was announced, NCTC found out the museum had been allotted another $5 million to complete the project and have monies for operating costs. Mayor Tommy Moore stated “We couldn't be happier with the outcome and know that this Museum honoring our highest decorated military members will make our community a destination place for people all across our nation.”
The Medal of Honor host city celebrations are set to begin Thursday, April 25th, 2024 with the motorcade scheduled to arrive in Gainesville around 5:00 PM.