Celebrating A Dedicated Servant of History
Holly Wait led the National Civil War Naval Museum for 10 years. Her ‘transformative’ leadership, grit and humor will be remembered Thursday at celebration of life
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Holly Beasley Wait’s friendliness, good cheer and distinctive laugh were her calling cards, whether when talking to a stranger or working with colleagues at the National Civil War Naval Museum in Columbus, Ga.
When challenges came along, the museum’s executive director exhibited another side of her character: determination.
Such was the case when tragedy struck in June 2020. An arson fire roared through an outside storage area, severely damaging a unique component of the CSS Jackson and scorching the engines of the CSS Chattahoochee, the other key attraction at the museum in the river city.
Former curator Jeff Seymour remembers feeling devastated. But Wait’s mettle and leadership came to the fore, he recalls.
“She brought the team together and said, ‘We are going to get through this and go to the next step.’”
Wait, who was always thinking of the next step in improving the museum’s collection and outreach to the community, died Feb. 19 at a local hospital. Her unexpected passing has jolted the institution’s staff.
The museum at 1002 Victory Drive will host a celebration of Wait’s life at 6 p.m. ET Thursday (March 6). The funeral for the public historian, who was 64, is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday (March 8) at Miles-Odum Funeral Home Chapel in her native Waycross, Ga.
Wait was at the helm of the…
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