Mayor Abbey Barnes kicked off “History on the Street: Evansville’s Banner Project” with her inspiration for the banners featuring Evansville residents on the downtown light posts along with the challenges she encountered bringing the project to fruition.
Ruth Ann Montgomery spoke about Dr. John M. Evans’s life and service.
Parker Gibbs showed slides and told stories about his grandmother, Ethel Gibbs, renowned artist and creator of the Evansville Wives and Mothers Club.
Emily Templeton Schnabel spoke of her great-grandfather Peter Templeton, Sr., who was an internationally renowned expert on Percheron horses.
Derek Allen shared stories of his formidable grandmother, Ida Conroy, Evansville’s first woman mayor. Finally, Arthur McEvoy, a Grove Society board member, presented Burr W. Jones’s history in Wisconsin law and politics.
All of the presentations were well-researched, given with care and respect for the person’s story they were telling. The best though, were the presentations given by the descendants of Ethel, Peter, and Ida. They shared their stories with pride, heart, and humor. We know their families were proud of them; we sure were.
