Celebration of Life: Holly B. Wait

Name: Celebration of Life: Holly B. Wait
Start: 2025-03-06T18:00:00-05:00
Location: 1002 Victory Dr, Columbus, GA, United States, Georgia 31901

Schedule

Thu, 06 Mar, 2025 at 06:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

1002 Victory Dr, Columbus, GA, United States, Georgia 31901 | Columbus, GA

Join the staff of The National Civil War Naval Museum, along with friends and family from all over, as we honor the life of Holly B. Wait, a remarkable leader and inspiring soul. We will miss her greatly. Her leadership, sense of humor, and dedication were exceptional. During this challenging time, let's gather to remember this extraordinary woman, celebrating her enduring legacy.
What: A Celebration of Life for Holly B. Wait
When: Thursday, March 6th at 6:00 PM
Where: National Civil War Naval Museum
1002 Victory Drive
Columbus, Ga 31901
About Holly:
Holly Beasley Wait, originally from Waycross, Georgia, dedicated over three decades of her professional life to museums and historic preservation. Her journey began after earning a master's degree in American History to 1865 and Public History from Florida State University, which led her to her first role as museum registrar at the Jekyll Island Museum. Subsequently, she returned to Tallahassee to work at the Museum of Florida History, initially as a museum educator and later as grants manager for the statewide Historical Museums Grants-in-Aid Program.
Wait then transitioned to the Bureau of Historic Preservation, where she contributed to managing the nation's then-largest Historic Preservation Grants Program. Following this, she assumed the directorship of the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida. Upon returning to her hometown to lead the Okefenokee Heritage Center in Waycross, she successfully secured funding for the exterior restoration of five historic structures on the site. In 2003, she took on the role of executive director at the Beaches Area Historical Society in Jacksonville Beach, FL, where she played a key role in completing a capital campaign for the construction of a new, state-of-the-art Beaches Museum and History Center.
In 2008, Holly and her husband John relocated to Texas. As director of the Pearce Museum, a Civil War and Western Art museum at Navarro College in Corsicana, Texas, she established a national western art show and sale, oversaw the editing and publishing of four volumes of original Civil War letters, and steered the museum through its significant four-year Sesquicentennial commemoration. Throughout her career at each museum, she consistently achieved notable increases in both visitor numbers and revenue, while also enhancing their collections and facilities.