Somerset's historical center volunteers recognized

The Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission recognized 27 individuals for their contributions of time, talent and expertise in 2020 and 2021. Among the Volunteer of the Year Award recipients are Jeffrey Shaffer and Michael Rhoades from the Somerset Historical Center/Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County.The volunteers were honored at a virtual ceremony on April 30.

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“Our volunteers are integral to the success of our historic sites and museums,” PHMC Executive Director Andrea Lowery said in a news release. “They bring a passion for history, a strong connection to community, and a desire to welcome all who visit to learn more about our shared heritage.”

Jeffrey Shaffer of Somerset and and Michael Rhoades of Berlin are professional Informational Technology Specialists at the historical center. They have contributed to the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County and the Somerset Historical Center by consulting, designing, equipment acquisition and installation of the site’s WiFi system. Their contribution allows the historical center and society to move forward with a more professional offering of WiFi for staff and visitors using the library, programming and business needs.

"I doubt the Historical Society would have been able to acquire the expertise, contributions and equipment to install such a quality WiFi System for our site on our own," said Mark D. Ware, executive director of the Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County Inc., and Somerset Historical Center, in an email.

"Their plans, recommendations and labors are responsible for what we were able to develop for our sites. We now have WiFi in the Visitor's Center, Research Library, entrance gates for Mt. Craft Days, and the Haupt Education Center. Their contributions enabled us to acquire grant monies from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies and with other resources provided by them, we can provide more services for our visitors."

Rhoades and Shaffer chose the historical society to donate their “Volunteer Time Off” hours through their employer, North American Hoganas, an international powdered metals company in Somerset County. The company gives employees paid time off to contribute to a volunteer organization of their choice.

They chose the society and center to spend their paid and a significant number of unpaid volunteer hours to provide the site with an extremely high-tech grade WiFi system that is "definitely not your usual coffee house internet access."

"I'm friends with Chris Zanoni (Historical and Genealogical Society of Somerset County board member and a 2020 Volunteer of the Year award recipient) and Jeff with Mr. Zanoni and Mark Ware. They said they were having trouble getting WiFi," Rhoades said.

"We thought we could use what knowledge we had to get what they needed. It was difficult getting it through the trees and woods. It would have cost $50-$60,000 for Comcast to do it with what they had planned."

Shaffer and Rhoades negotiated with their company to provide more than $5,000 worth of equipment, assisted with a grant that the society received for additional equipment, and installation to provide WiFi throughout the Visitor’s Center. They also provided service to several wireless points throughout the grounds and the Haupt Educational Center, several hundred yards from the main Visitor’s Center. The installation and equipment would probably have cost more than $40,000 without their assistance, saving about 85% of that amount.

"It was a really fun project," Rhoades said. "We enjoyed doing it."

Internet service

They also assisted the society through a program with the Somerset County Library to provide internet access to those in the rural area without access to internet, by installing equipment to access the internet via the main parking lot area. This was a nationwide initiative to assist rural communities with internet connections during the COVID-19 shutdown.

"As a result, we are able to offer WiFi in our main parking lot for local residents who do not have access to the internet," Ware said. "This is a valuable service in our rural community, and proved itself during the COVID-19 era."

Rhoades said that part of the project was noteworthy to the two men because it helped the students who didn't have access to the internet to be able to do their school work from the center's parking lot.

Rhoades and Shaffer are on hand to keep the system updated and help out with problems that might arise."They continue to assist us with any problems that arise from power surges or equipment malfunctions," Ware said. "The Somerset County Historical Society is committed to providing the best possible services for visitors, researchers, collections care, and preservation of our County's rich Heritage."

Award not expected

Rhoades said he was shocked by the honor from the Historical & Museum Commission.

"We had no idea. They went through Jeff's wife and my wife, so they knew we were getting it. But we didn't," he said. "We are so honored. We didn't know much about the award before. But we would be doing this, award or not. We were happy to do it. It's a really good organization and I hope everyone will utilize the services the center offers."

Each spring for more than 40 years, commission leadership has gathered with volunteers to say thanks and honor exceptional service. The volunteers received a certificate, membership in Pennsylvania Museums, and free admission at any of the PHMC Historical Sites and Museums.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Somerset Historical Center volunteers honored by PHMC