MIHS Celebrates Another Year

The Marco Island Historical Society (MIHS) has itself become a part of Marco Island history. For 30 years now, the society has been working to chronicle, preserve, and educate about the thousands of years of human experience on the largest of the 10,000 Islands.

On December 9, MIHS board members, staffers, and supporters gathered in the second-floor dining room of the Marco Island Yacht Club for their 2025 annual meeting and holiday luncheon, on a blustery day that saw the flags on the yardarm outside the windows blowing straight out. The membership had some serious business to attend to, but first, after a welcome from MIHS CEO Pat Rutledge and a blessing from Alan Sandlin, they sat down to enjoy lunch and the musical stylings of Kat and Lou.

MIHS board president Tish Champagne conducted the approval of the previous year’s annual meeting minutes and moved on to the installation of the society’s officers and directors. Sandlin, a past MIHS president, was called up once again to swear in the two groups.

The slate of officers consisted of Tish Champagne – president, Mike O’Rourke – immediate past president, Pat Rutledge – chief executive officer, Val Bilbrey – secretary, Bert Engh – treasurer, Neil Brethauer – director at large, and Ron Saffin – assistant treasurer.

The board of directors included Ben Ramsey, Chris Sullivan, Pat Rutledge, Mike O’Rourke, Bert Engh, Henry Stanley, Neil Bretthauer, Tish Champagne, Margo Heidenreich, Val Bilbrey, Lael Kilpatrick, Kevin Hennessy, Ellie Everitt, Alan Sandlin (swearing himself in), Allyson Richards, Pam Rakoczy, Lenore Yale, Ron Saffin, and Myrt Rose, who was unable to attend the luncheon. Even without Myrt, it required a wide-angle lens to fit the entire board into a photo.

Reflecting on the past year at MIHS, Rutledge said she thought the best way was to view it “through the lens of our mission statement: to preserve and to share the history of Marco Island and the surrounding community.”

She lauded the work led by President Champagne to guard against the potential loss of history through development in archaeologically sensitive years, “Our history was at risk – and it was ultimately protected,” declared Rutledge.

New exhibits including “The Florida House,” which allows visitors to design their own Deltona home, “Backstage Hollywood,” featuring the historic photographs of Bob Willoughby, and “Marco on the Move,” are expanding on the historical museum’s offerings, which include permanent exhibits including the Calusa Gallery, Pioneer Period, and Modern Marco exhibits, plus the renowned Key Marco Cat, held over for an extended visit.

“Marco on the Move” showcases how transportation has shaped the island as it has evolved. One find includes gearboxes from the ferry that used to be the only way to reach Marco, artifacts that were recovered after spending more than 70 years beneath the waters of the Marco River.

Additional accomplishments include growing the MIHS endowment fund, developing outreach programs, growing the museum’s collections through the acquisition of 396 additional items, and, as the society’s facilities have faced the ravages of aging in the unforgiving tropical climate, taking on a variety of repair and maintenance projects.

Rutledge introduced staffers, including operations manager April Bowden, business manager Lisa Consolo, museum assistant Gail Davenport, museum specialist Ivy Johnson, gift store manager Nancy Judd, Collier County museum manager Rebecca Mazeroski, and curator of collections Heather Otis. She also introduced special projects team Ron Rutledge, Roger Johnson, and the volunteers who, said Pat, “represent the heartbeat of an organization fervently committed to preserving our history.”

Pat Rutledge also introduced Evelyn Rosetti-Ryan, Executive Director of Our Daily Bread Food Pantry, who spoke about how her organization helps the less fortunate. Attendees were asked to bring food items to donate, and Rutledge noted that they had collected 330 lbs. of food to distribute.

Alan Sandlin returned one more time, along with his wife Linda, to close the program with the traditional reading of “Christmas Eve on Marco Island,” a retelling of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” with an island twist.