CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.- (CLARKSVILLENOW) The Customs House Museum and Cultural Center held its annual Flying High fundraiser where the Gracey Award was presented to the Museum’s model train crew past and present.

The Gracey Award has been presented annually since 1992 in remembrance of Donald and Finley Gracey, who made a generous bequest in the form of a trust fund to benefit four Clarksville institutions, including the museum. In remembrance of their remarkable gift, and to honor the spirit in which all such gifts are made, the Board of Trustees of the Customs House Museum & Cultural Center established this special award to be presented each year at Flying High. The coveted Gracey Award is presented to an individual or individuals for their distinguished service and friendship to the Museum, manifested primarily through gifts of time, treasure, and talent.

This year’s recipient of the Gracey Award, however, is not an individual or couple. “For the very first time, this year’s award goes to a group of individuals who have maintained a strong connection with the Museum since its beginning, delighted visitors of all ages with what they have shared, and given many of our patrons a reason to return again and again,” said Executive Director Jim Zimmer.

C. David Elliot, a charter member of the museum model train crew, came forward to accept this award on behalf of the group. “On behalf of the Train Crew, we were honored and surprised at being named the 2018 recipient of the Gracey Award,” C. David said. “On a personal note, as a child, my family was the next-door neighbor of Finley Gracey.”

The model train crew has been involved with the Museum since Christmas of 1988, when they were invited to build a modular layout that could be brought out during the holiday season. They then received corporate sponsors to build a layout that ran until November 1996, when the museum expanded to a second building. The current train layout was built off-site and has been growing and improving ever since. The crew incorporates changes to the layout for the spring, summer, and fall seasons for distinctive looks.

The Model Train Crew is currently seeking additional volunteer operators, particularly for the weekly train runs on Sundays from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. Donations from the public are accepted to allow the crew to operate, build, and maintain the train layouts. Donations of train equipment are also accepted, specifically for O-gauge equipment. For more information on how to get involved, contact Sue Lewis at 931-648-5780 or sue@customshousemuseum.org or speak to a train crew member during train operating hours.

The following individuals who have served as part of the train crew include:

Current Active Crew

Ken Billings
John Blake
Teddy Blake
Larry Guest
Kenny Hummer
Carl Eiseman
C. David Elliot
Henry Livingstone
Jeff Stewart

Former Crew Members

George Barbee
Bob Blaustein
P.O. Bledsoe
Earl O. Bradley, Jr.
Tom Coffman
Lynn Cooper
Joe Eighmy
Tom Grabenstein
Jerry Hill
Chuck Hillyer
Elliot S. Koerner
Larry Levin
Bob Lill
Lawrence Mize
Mark Nolan
George Livingstone
James “Pat” Moore
Bubba Shelly
Mark Sorensen
David Straka
Chris Taylor

Located at the corner of Second and Commerce Streets, the Customs House Museum is the second largest general museum in Tennessee. For more information about the museum, visit the Customs House Museum website, call 931-648-5780 or info@customshousemuseum.org.