Jesse Owens Museum given $75,000 in state funds | News

This is part of a larger plan to bring track and field events to the museum. He said the Oakville Indian Mound Park down the road is a “tremendous example of what happens when you combine old and new,” and hopes to do the same at the museum.

“You’ve got tens of thousands of people to show up to those races so that’s a huge economic boom for the county. But I would love to see a track at the museum and tie that into the high school system and have meets here,” he said. “Jesse Owens is probably the most iconic track and field figure in our country so not only is there an economic benefit but there’s a historical one as well.”

He said this money from the state budget helps because,  “This brings attention to the people in the house and the people in control of the budgets that this is here, that this matters.”

“I would argue that we have the most unique track and field story of any state in the country, it ‌changed the world,” Yarbrough said. “But, in the meantime, that money helps us to make improvements, so that this museum can be a worthy facility in their eyes to direct track and field events.”

The director of the museum, Nancy Pinion, said she was ecstatic when she heard about the money being given to the museum.

“This is the most we have ever gotten from the legislature in one go,” Pinion said. “So we were very happy about it.”

She said the money comes at a good time.

“We have some equipment that needs to be updated and are purchasing some new technology. We are also having some of our films in the kiosk redone for today’s technology, we are also close captioning the documentary, Return to Berlin in English and Spanish,” Pinion said. “And you never know what happens day-to-day. Something may need to be fixed or a new project might pop up.”

She thanks representative Yarbrough for his continued work in supporting the museum and hopes that the word about the museum continues to spread.