Making A Difference: Jim And Phyllis Sutton
Phyllis and Jim Sutton (submitted photo)
November 6th, 2022
Eddyville, Iowa – Many times, you will find Jim and Phyllis Sutton volunteering their time at the Eddyville Historical Museum, helping to provide not only the staffing to make events happen but, quite often, the food or whatever is needed.
Jim says that, for him, being a lifelong resident of Eddyville, who grew up in the community the same as his father, “It’s my hometown, and I just want to see it preserved.”
For Phyllis, “I love doing things that help communities thrive and help build communities.”
Phyllis will soon be a schoolteacher, adding that it’s “more about the kids and our generation that are coming up. To have that (museum) preserve the history of the town and what it’s all about and to give those kids that little taste of history.”
The Suttons held Valentine’s dinner at the Eddyville Historical Museum this past year as one of their first efforts to help raise funds and awareness of the museum. “We just wanted to do something to try to get a few donations for the museum,” said James.
After that, they also provided a soup supper fundraising event that held a freewill donation for those that attended. “We want everybody to enjoy and to come in, and that also brings them into the museum,” added Phyllis, who loves when others view the artifacts displayed in the museum.
During the summer, they worked with the library during the summer reading program, helping with a children’s event that had children learning and playing with the toys that pioneer kids would have. “You know, getting their hands on toys and movement with the kids was amazing,” explained Phyllis.
In his spare time, Jim loves to break out his metal detector. The local artifacts he finds get cleaned up and, if possible, donated to the museum for future generations. “It’s important because it’s the history of Eddyville.”
If you want to learn more about upcoming events, including a special event in December, visit the museum on their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/EddyvilleHistoricalMuseum
If you know of someone doing good things or making a difference in their community, please get in touch with us at info@oskynews.org and let us know.
