Cantigny’s First Division Museum executive director has retired after 14 years.
Paul Herbert took on the role after being an army officer and earning a Ph.D in history.
Of the many accomplishments he’s made over the years, Herbert’s most noticeable is the renovations done to the museum in 2016 and 2017.
But as he’s stepped away from position, Herbert says what will resonate with him most are memories of those who paid a visit…
“The most satisfying feeling of being a museum director is to watch the visitor be moved by something we created. It’s a rush,” said Herbert.
And the veterans’ stories the museum preserved.
“We have interviewed and worked with hundreds of First Infantry Division veterans going all the way back to World War II,” he added. “And I enjoy the therapeutic effect that we have on a veteran when they realize that we think their story is important and we respect it and we validate their experience.”
Herbert says he’ll always remember the great staff he worked with at the First Division Museum, and he’s proud of the educational programs teaching military history that has spread beyond Cantigny Park.
Cantigny will announce Herbert’s successor this spring.
Naperville News 17’s Christine Lena reports.