CONTACT: Margie Wilhelmi
Director of Marketing, Wheaton Park District
630.510.4984 | [email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 29, 2021

Wheaton, Ill. – The DuPage County Historical Museum received a $2,500 grant to fund an exhibit and associated programs to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War II. The grant comes from the History DuPage Fund of the DuPage Foundation as part of their Community Needs Grant Program.

The exhibit, Together We Win: DuPage in World War II, will tell the story of World War II through the eyes of DuPage County residents, and will run from July, 2021 to May, 2022. DuPage men and women served overseas in the armed forces and supported the war effort at home by rationing, buying war bonds, participating in volunteer organizations, and working in the defense industry.

“As with Americans all over the country, the people of DuPage County made great sacrifices during the war to protect freedom throughout the world,” Curator Zachary Bishop said. “Together We Win will honor the contributions of DuPage residents to the war effort overseas and at home.”

The exhibit will further discuss how the controversial aspects of the war shaped DuPage and the world for the rest of the 20th century, especially war casualties, the Holocaust, Japanese internment, and the use of the Atomic Bomb.

As part of the planned virtual and in-person programming, the Museum will host local professionals who lecture, portray historical persons and sing about the 1940s. Programming will reinforce themes as well as to introduce new topics not able to be discussed at length in the exhibit.

“We are thrilled to bring this exhibit and programs to the public in honor of all those who fought for our freedom,” said Michelle Podkowa, Museum Manager and Educator. We are privileged to be working with the History DuPage Fund through the DuPage Foundation and we thank them for their continued support.”

Interested in learning more? Contact Zach Bishop, Museum Curator at [email protected].