Museum closed temporarily
• Forbes steps down as museum attendant
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June 22, 2017
Bob Forbes stands by the many different military uniforms that are on display at the Freedom Museum. It is one of his favorite exhibits.
The Freedom Museum will be closed June 21-27 due to maintenance and new staff training. Bob Forbes will be stepping down as the museum attendant. Forbes spoke at the museum fundraising dinner and thanked the museum board for letting him work the last four years.
Forbes was able to work at the museum thanks to a government retraining program – Oklahoma Economic Development Authority (OEDA). The program is called the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). According to the OEDA website, the program taps into the nontraditional workforce of individuals 55 years of age or older. Individuals who meet the income requirements are eligible for SCSEP and can work up to 20 hours per week without losing Social Security benefits. There is also a stipulation on how many years you can work under this retraining program and Forbes has maxed out the number of years he can participate.
Forbes said he will miss his job at the museum and commented about the Freedom Museum. "We have something downtown on Main Street (the Freedom Museum) that is valuable. Let's take care of it," Forbes said.
Forbes learned the history of this area and shared it with the visitors of the museum.
"I learned a lot of history about the area that I had not known before working here; everything in the museum has a story. Things date back to the land run in 1893 and even before that," Forbes said. "I enjoyed telling the stories of the families that settled here. I did my best to explain things and keep it interesting for all ages."
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