Passionate volunteers play a major role in bringing the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites’ mission to life. And every year, one outstanding volunteer is honored for going above and beyond with the Doris Kenninger Stump Volunteer of the Year Award. Supported by the Jaquish & Kenninger Foundation, the award recognizes a volunteer who has been nominated by members of our team for embodying the same enthusiasm and initiative as its namesake.
This year, the award was given to Andy Jackson, who has dedicated countless hours to assisting our natural history team for more than 25 years.
Jackson has been a friend to the Indiana State Museum from day one, literally. From 2001-03, he served as our organization’s controller and played a critical role in planning and overseeing the construction of the museum’s current building in White River State Park.
Once he became a volunteer in 2015, Jackson began assisting the archaeology team on a variety of excavation projects — most notably at Megenity Cave.
“Andy has been an ally of the museum since his time as our controller, when he recognized how important our mission was,” said Damon Lowe, senior curator of science and technology and curator of biology. “Even though his career took him on another path, he remained in contact with us, volunteering on excavations and returning as a regular section volunteer after his retirement from Indy Go. Although he is quiet, his work ethic and attention to detail make him a very valuable member of the team.”
In fact, visitors can see the results of Jackson’s work up close at the museum. In the Frozen Reign gallery, you’ll find a display of tiny bones accompanied by a sign that reads, “Here Lie Bones From 96 Different Animals.” These are just a fraction of the fossils Jackson helped our team process during excavations of Megenity Cave.
Over the years, Jackson has spent an incredible amount of time sorting and rehousing thousands of animal fossils, making it possible for our paleontology team to identify, preserve and research them.
“Thanks to his efforts, along with various New Harmony State Historic Site volunteers across the years, hundreds of buckets worth of material have undergone the first steps of processing, accounting for what would have taken a single curator multiple times over to complete,” said Dr. Catalina Tomé, curator of paleobiology.
Whether he’s working in the lab, in the field or remotely, Jackson’s positivity, diligence and passion for preserving Indiana’s natural history have made him a treasured part of the team. Peggy Fisherkeller, our curator of geology, has even noted that site visits tend to be more efficient when Jackson is present.
“Andy is a dependable and positive addition to any job,” said Fisherkeller. “I’ve worked with Andy for many hours in the field. If he was there, things went more smoothly, which is saying a lot, when so many things can go wrong.”
