Meeting/Event Minutes
April 22, 2004

More than 100 were in attendance as the Stout Historical Association oficially initiated its relationship with the Dunn County Historical Society. The group’s inaugural event was held April 22 at the Russell J. Rassbach Heritage Museum.

The evening program featured local historian Ellwyn Hendrickson speaking about the Stout family and educational enterprises in a talk entitled “From The Stout Manual Training Schools to the Stout Institute — Jimmy, His Family, His Schools.”

Following the talk, the Association received the Wesley Face tool collection from Mrs. Cyrilla Face. Face was a long-time educator and administrator at UW-Stout before his death in 2001. He was an avid woodcarver and collector of antique tools. The extensive collection includes woodworking tools from the late 1800s. This collection is the first major artifact donation to the newly formed Stout Historical Association.

The Stout Historical Association (SHA) formed in early 2002 when a group of alumni, and retired and current university staff began to meet with the goal in mind of establishing a Stout historical museum. The group proposed to display such items as drawings, photographs, documents, curricula, equipment and student projects to explain the vision, philosophy and innovation that has made UW-Stout a leader in higher education.

By 2003, the group began to seek formal non-profit status. After exploring a number of options, the Association entered into a mutually beneficial relationship with the Dunn County Historical Society (DCHS). As part of the Society, the SHA will assist with exhibit space in the Heritage Museum that is devoted to James Huff Stout and the institution he founded. In return, the Stout group will greatly benefit from the professional expertise of the historical society.

The SHA also hopes to create exhibits at various locations on the Stout campus in addition to a virtual museum that would be available online to alumni who are unable to return to Menomonie in person.