Have You Met?

As president of the Missouri History Museum, Dr. Robert R. Archibald transformed a traditional historical organization into a nationally recognized model of a community-oriented institution. In 1994 MHM received the first National Award for Museum Service for its role as a model for programs that use history as context for today’s concerns and exhibits that engage the public in exploring the relationship between people and their physical environment, their institutions, and each other’s diversity. Archibald has made the Missouri History Museum true common ground, providing historical perspective and facilitating discussion on contemporary problems and solutions that affect the community’s future. Under his leadership since 1988, the Missouri History Museum has increased staff, budget, programming, attendance, and participation. Facilities include the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, encompassing the venerable and renovated Jefferson Memorial and the Emerson Center, and the Library and Research Center, which includes its publishing division, the MHM Press. Archibald’s interest and advocacy extend far beyond the museum. He is on boards of the Public Policy Research Center, the Great Rivers Resource Center, the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis, Forest Park Forever and is former chair of Citizens for Modern Transit. He has been actively involved in exploring charter reform for the City and in Forest Park planning efforts. Recent awards include the William Barnaby Faherty Award for Lifetime Achievement in St. Louis History; the 1998 Distinguished Alumni Award from Northern Michigan University; and from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. He is a well-known writer and sought-after speaker, both locally and nationally. His most recent book is A Place to Remember: Using History to Build Community, and he is currently working on a book of essays on contemporary community concerns. A native of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, with professional museum experience in New Mexico and Montana, Bob Archibald not only has made St. Louis his home but also has helped make it a better place, with more inclusive history, a more hopeful present, and a sustainable future.