Brendon Ward stands by one of the exhibits at the National Museum of Industrial History.
Brendon Ward ’24 has been awarded the first Barnette Internship at the National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH) in Bethlehem, a Smithsonian Institution-affiliate dedicated to preserving the industrial heritage of the United States.
A student of history and anthropology, Ward will work 20 hours a week helping to catalog the hundreds of thousands of documents, photographs, films, and other historical records in the museum’s archive. He will also assist in updating the Forging Community Oral History Collection, among other responsibilities.
Ward interned at the museum during the summer of 2021. He cataloged donations in the museum’s online database, maintained the proper temperature of the exhibits, and helped with preparations for the 1876 World’s Fair Weekend, June 11–12, 2021. He has been involved with the National Museum of Industrial History ever since and is grateful for this opportunity to continue working for the museum and deepening his professional experience.
Curtis “Hank” Barnette, chair emeritus of the board of directors at the museum and of Bethlehem Steel Corporation, and his wife, Joanne Barnette, endowed the internship, which is open to college students with interests in history, museums, and related fields. The next application deadline for the Barnette Internship Program at NMIH is May 31, 2023.