September 28, 2022

Finest Hour 195, First Quarter 2022

Page 06

The Robert L. DeFer Archives and Collections Internship Endowment at America’s National Churchill Museum

Since 2013 the Robert L. DeFer Archives and Collections Internship Endowment has provided financial support for paid internships at America’s National Churchill Museum. “The endowment has permitted the Museum to expand its efforts to research, digitize, and catalogue our ever-growing and world-class collection. At the same time, it provides valuable hands-on experience to aspiring students or young professionals interested in museum collections management,” says Monroe E. and Sandra L. Trout Director and Chief Curator Timothy Riley. “Bob’s generosity is truly an investment in the next generation of museum professionals, many of whom have gone on to work in prestigious museums in the United States.”

The endowed fund was a generous gift from Churchill Fellow and long-time member of the Museum’s Board of Governors Robert DeFer of Chesterfield, Missouri. A decorated veteran, Bob DeFer served in the US Army from 1956 to 1976 in Korea, Germany, and Vietnam before retiring from the armed services and pursuing a successful career as a physician practice administrator at the St. Louis University School of Medicine.

“I am grateful to Mr. DeFer and his wife Doris for helping to support the work I do to digitize the Museum’s collections and archives,” says Kelsie Slaughter, a Westminster College alumna and current DeFer Intern. “The work we do is really an investment in the future of history.”