Volunteer: a person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to undertake a service

Jan. 14, 2021 – Discovery Park is pleased to name Sue Ellen Morris as the 2020 Volunteer of the Year. Volunteers are important to Discovery Park. They enhance our ability to implement our mission by offering their knowledge and expertise in a variety of ways.

When Sue Ellen started volunteering in early 2020 at Discovery Park, she soon realized one of her favorite things was sharing information about the park with first-time guests. “I really enjoy meeting the people that visit from around the world,” said Sue Ellen. “I like hearing their stories and watching the children’s reactions when they walk through the doors and see the giant cave bear or the dinosaur skeletons. Some are frightened by the bear and others want to hurry to see if it’s real.”

“Of course, 2020 was a tough year for all of us,” said Scott Williams, Discovery Park president and CEO. “Rounding the corner and seeing Sue Ellen sitting there with her mask on, ready to welcome guests, always made me feel a little happier.”

Sue Ellen received an etched serving board handmade by Discovery Park volunteer John. R. Hall for her dedication to Discovery Park of America.

Get to Know the 2020 Volunteer of the Year

Born in Hickman County, Ky., to Raymond and Estelle Morris, Sue Ellen grew up on the family farm with her two sisters, Gina Lou and Ruth Ann. She was always helping out on the farm, driving tractors and planting soybean, corn and wheat. Growing up, she was also an avid reader and volunteered at the library in Clinton, Ky. She loved reading books about places around the world that she never dreamed a little girl from a small town in Kentucky would visit. Little did she know what was to come.

She attended Murray State University and received her undergraduate degree in English with a minor in history. Sue Ellen then decided to pursue law school and attended the University of Tulsa. After she graduated with her law degree, she realized that the big city life and the cold were not for her. She missed her family, the warmer weather and the greenery of her hometown. So, she packed everything up and headed back home to begin her career as a lawyer at Roberts, Bugg and Morris in Clinton, Ky.

Once her career took off as a partner in the law firm, she remembered the books she read as a little girl about all the exotic places around the world she wished she could visit. Sue Ellen convinced her sister, Ruth Ann, to be her travel partner and they started exploring the amazing places she had only read and dreamed about visiting. She and her sister visited places all around Europe, including Ireland, Great Britain and Italy. Their furthest adventure to date has been to New Zealand. They have also met friends that they now travel with on their adventures.

“She loved reading books on places around the world that she never dreamed a little girl from a small town in Kentucky would visit. Little did she know what was to come.”

“My favorite place that I have visited is Rome,” said Sue Ellen. “The city, the history, the food and the people make it one of the most interesting and culturally rich places to visit. We have found the best gelato place in Rome and have to visit it every time we are there.”

Sue Ellen and her sister had to put their next adventures on hold when COVID-19 hit. “We are big cruisers and had two cancelled, one in 2020 and one in 2021, but we have a Celebrity Cruise planned later this year that starts in Venice and ends in Rome. We are really hoping we get to experience this trip.”

Since international travel is paused for now, we asked Sue Ellen where her favorite place to visit is in the United States. “I really like to travel to the Smoky Mountains. We rent a cabin, take hikes and just relax.” She already has a condo booked in April to hunt for spring wildflowers in Sevierville with her travelling buddies.

“I like hearing their stories and seeing the children’s reactions when they walk through the doors and see the giant cave bear or the dinosaur skeletons. Some are frightened by the bear and others want to hurry and touch it to see if it’s real.”

She still practices law part-time, but within the next couple of years, she wants to have something more she can do to give back to the community once she completely retires. This volunteer program fits in well with her plans. Plus, Sue Ellen enjoys taking photos of the guests and giving them the information they need to enhance their experience at Discovery Park.

When asked if she recommends others to volunteer at the park, she said, “Yes! This is a great opportunity for retired educators or for anyone who is passionate about sharing knowledge with others.” She also shared her favorite part of the park. “I really enjoy the grounds, and I like to see the transformation of the outdoor foliage that occurs as the seasons change. The grounds staff does an awesome job. I also love the old cars and there are a couple I would love to take home.”

If you or someone you know is interested in joining the volunteer program at Discovery Park, please email Polly Brasher at pbrasher@discoveryparkofamerica.com for more information.

Dec. 17, 2020 – Discovery Park of America is filled with artifacts, replicas, history, science, art and more. Our mission is to inspire children and adults to see beyond, and we do so by sharing educational content online and throughout our museum.

We share weekly updates on anniversaries and significant moments in history, and where you can find items related to these dates through our museum and heritage park.

Transportation Gallery

• Dec. 17, 1903 (117th anniversary) – Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully flew the first powered plane for 12 seconds near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Military Gallery

• Dec. 18, 1865 (155th anniversary) – The 13^th Amendment was formally adopted into the U.S. Constitution, officially abolishing slavery in America.
• Dec. 19, 1941 (79th anniversary) – In a major shake-up of the military high command, Adolf Hitler assumes the position of commander in chief of the German army during World War II.

Freedom Square: Liberty Hall

• Dec. 19, 1777 (243rd anniversary) – Gen. George Washington and his troops arrived at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, 22 miles from British-occupied Philadelphia.

STEM Landing

• Dec. 21, 1968 (52nd anniversary) – Apollo 8, the first manned mission to the moon, successfully launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on this day. On Christmas Eve, the astronauts entered into orbit around the moon.
• Dec. 19, 1972 (48th anniversary) – The Apollo lunar-landing program ended on this day when the last three astronauts to travel to the moon splashed down safely in the Pacific Ocean. This lunar mission was called Apollo 17.

Natural History Gallery

• Dec. 23, 1938 (82nd anniversary) – A living coelacanth, thought to have gone extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period, was discovered off the east coast of South Africa.

Technology Gallery

• Dec. 24, 1906 (114th anniversary) – The first radio broadcast for entertainment and music was transmitted from Brant Rock, Massachusetts to the public.

Dec. 3, 2020 – Discovery Park of America is filled with artifacts, replicas, history, science, art and more. Our mission is to inspire children and adults to see beyond, and we do so by sharing educational content online and throughout our museum.

We share weekly updates on anniversaries and significant moments in history, and where you can find items related to these dates through our museum and heritage park.

Natural History Gallery (Mineral Wall)

• Dec. 5, 1848 (172nd anniversary) – United States President James K. Polk triggered the Gold Rush of 1849 by confirming a gold discovery in California.

Technology Showcase

• Dec. 6, 1877 (143rd anniversary) – Thomas Edison made the first sound recording. He recorded himself reciting “Mary had a Little Lamb.” From this machine evolved the phonographs and record industries of the world.
• Dec. 6, 1923 (97th anniversary) – Calvin Coolidge gave the first presidential address broadcast on radio.

Military Gallery (Reconstruction)

• Dec. 5, 1955 (65th anniversary) – Following the arrest of civil rights activist Rosa Parks, the Montgomery Improvement Association was formed to direct the boycott of the city’s segregated buses. Martin Luther King, Jr. was elected as the organization’s president.
• Dec. 6, 1865 (155th anniversary) – The 13^th Amendment formally abolished slavery in the United States.
• Dec. 10, 1964 (56th anniversary) – Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in America. He declared that “every penny” of the $54,000 award would be used in the ongoing civil rights struggle.

Military Gallery (World War II)

• Dec. 7, 1941 (79^th anniversary) – The Japanese attacked the United States Navy at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Dec. 8, 1941 (79^th anniversary) – After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States officially entered World War II.

Nov. 20, 2020 – In May of 1886, the United States was in the midst of what is now known as the Gilded Age. This period was marked by a rapidly developing economy and the cultural reunification of the North and South. Over the course of 20 years, the average wage for an industrial worker in the U.S. nearly doubled, and the standard of living for American families skyrocketed above that of most European countries. The economic development that epitomized this era rode in on trains – innovative, perpetually evolving trains. A uniform and efficient railroad system became a pivotal asset to the nation, and the time had come to work out its antiquated quirks.

Over 60 years earlier, in 1827, Baltimore & Ohio Railroad had been commissioned with the purpose of transporting goods being shipped along the Ohio River in the West to the port at Baltimore in the East. As America’s first railroad, the company set the standard for railways in the North by copying British railways in formatting track. The rails were placed 56.5 inches apart – a measurement that had been decided on by George Stephenson, a British engineer known as “the Father of Railways.” A separate railroad, the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company, got its start only 9 months later in Charleston, South Carolina. To accommodate the movement of larger cotton bales, the founders of South Carolina C&R decided on a rail spacing, or “gauge,” of 60 inches – exactly 5 feet.

As the years went on, the 56.5 inch gauge became the standard for railroads hailing from the North, while Southern railways followed South Carolina’s suit in standardizing the 60-inch gauge. These were not the only gauges present in the U.S. railroad system. In fact, by 1871, there were at least 23 different gauges in use by American railroads. Since trains would have to be specially formatted and equipped to run on a certain width of track, this was a major issue by the Gilded Age reform. Trains would have to be unloaded and the freight moved to another train at the interchange in order to make its full transit. In fact, North Carolina adopted the Stephenson gauge (Northern system) in order to make trade with the North easier and drew massive amounts of commerce away from surrounding Southern states as a result.

On February 2, 1886, the operating officers of the South’s major railroads met at Kimball House in Atlanta to discuss a shift to the Stephenson gauge. While some advocated passionately for the full transition, the final decision was to adopt a 4-foot-9 inch gauge – 3 inches narrower than the Southern gauge, but still a half inch wider than the Stephenson gauge. This miniscule difference allowed for most engines formatted for the Stephenson to still traverse the tracks, while also being wide enough for use by the Pennsylvania Railroad, a unique Northern Railroad with a 4ft9in gauge which had many interchanges with Southern rails. It was decided that on May 31^st and June 1^st of that year, in just two days, tens of thousands of railroad laborers across the South would pull up some 11,500 miles of rail and move them inward. Only one side would need to be moved, so it was decided that the western or northern side of each track would be shifted 3 inches.

The four-month preparation period allowed for special wheels to be made for engines and cars that could simply be turned around on their axles on the transformation day to fit the new track. When May 31^st came, hundreds of workers hit the ground reversing the wheels on thousands of cars and engines, while thousands more workers quickly plucked railroad spikes on the 11,500 miles of track and shifted them inward by 3 inches. This daunting task was made considerably more efficient with the use of a special caliper known as a railroad gauge. Instead of measuring the distance between the rails every few feet, the workers could simply slide the caliper (like the one found in Discovery Park’s Depot), which had a set length of 4ft9in, down the track and confirm its uniformity.

On June 1^st, after the noisiest 36 hours the South ever experienced, the last spike was hammered in. Over the next several decades, regular maintenance of tracks eventually shifted all railroad tracks in the South to the Stephenson gauge of 4ft 8.5in. Nevertheless, the Great Gauge Change of May 31^st and June 1^st, 1886 remains one of the greatest feats of engineering in world history, let alone the most magnificent coordinated effort in the Southern United States prior to telecommunications.

Side note: The day after the transition, June 2, 1886, President Grover Cleveland, who was 49, married college student Frances Folsom in the Blue Room of the White House. Cleveland had been the executor of her father’s estate and oversaw her upbringing. Nevertheless, at just 21 years old, she became one of the most beloved first ladies in American History. This was a busy week in American history, indeed!

Nov. 19, 2020 – Discovery Park of America is filled with artifacts, replicas, history, science, art and more. Our mission is to inspire children and adults to see beyond, and we do so by sharing educational content online and throughout our museum.

We share weekly updates on anniversaries and significant moments in history, and where you can find items related to these dates through our museum and heritage park.

Regional History Gallery

• Nov. 20, 1936 (84^th anniversary) – “Slingshot” Charlie Taylor, an Obion County native who was famous for his prowess with the slingshot, received his hunting and fishing license for just $2.00.

Science, Space and Technology Gallery

• Nov. 21, 1877 (143^rd anniversary) – Thomas Edison announced his great invention—the phonograph—while working on a way to record telephone communication at his laboratory.
• Nov. 23, 1924 (96^th anniversary) – Edwin Hubble’s discovery of nebulae beyond the Milky Way galaxy was published in the New York Times.
• Nov. 23, 1936 (84^th anniversary) – The first issue of the pictorial magazine Life was published.

Natural History Gallery

• Nov. 24, 1859 (161^st anniversary) – Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species that explores evolution and natural selection was published. It immediately sold out its initial print run and became one of the most influential books of modern time.

Children’s Exploration Gallery (Entry Level)

• Nov. 26, 1945 (75^th anniversary) – The popular slinky toy was displayed at Gimbels Department Store in Philadelphia. The whole inventory of 400 was sold within 90 minutes.

National/International Holiday

• Nov. 26, 1941 (79^th anniversary) – President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill officially establishing the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.