Famous Endings museum celebrates Black History Month with special display
February 5, 2010
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For the fifth consecutive year, Toland-Herzigs Famous Endings Museum, located within the Toland-Herzig Funeral Home & Crematory, at 803 N. Wooster Ave., Dover, is celebrating Black History Month with a spectacular 150-artifact display.
Black history is more than just black history - it is world history, noted John Herzig, Toland-Herzig president and Famous Endings curator. My interest in having a collection like this is driven by my personal interest in history and historical figures. In honor of Black History Month, the display will be highlighting a variety of influential black leaders from politics, entertainment, sports and more.
Notable in the collection are the funeral memorial folders for figures such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Arthur Ashe, Mahalia Jackson, Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens. Other more contemporary celebrities would include: Michael Jackson, Bernie Mac, Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, Johnny Cochran, Steve McNair, Ed Bradley, and many, many more.
This year will also feature newer pieces acquired since the last display, including funeral stationery and memorabilia from the services of: James Brown, Gerald Levert, June Pointer, Freddie Gorman, Ennis Cosby (Bill Cosbys son), Elston Howard, professional fighter Big John Tate, Master Chief Carl Bashear, the Navys first African American diver depicted by Cuba Gooding Jr. in the motion picture Men of Honor, Billy Preston, Bo Diddley, Sammy Davis Jr., Isaac Hayes, Wayman Tisdale, Mary Wells, George Washington Carver, and Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs-Jones.
The display will be highlighted throughout the month of February and, as always, there is no charge to view the collection.
Also new this year is a daily Black History Month collection feature on Toland-Herzigs Facebook fan page.
Each year, interest in this collection, and specifically our Black History Month display, increases, Herzig said I expect this year to generate even more foot traffic - there are some very unique pieces in this collection and it is so much fun to share it with the community.
Famous Endings is the worlds largest privately owned collection of funeral mementos from the services of the famous including: world leaders, presidents and other notable politicians, athletes, entertainers, stars of stage and screen, along with many other pop culture icons. For more information about the collection, call Herzig at 330-343-6132 or e-mail johnherzig@tolandherzig.com.
