About

The Junior Historians of the Derry Museum of History and Pinkerton Academy’s Air Force Junior ROTC program share a core membership as well as the core values of AFJROTC: “integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all we do.” A great example of how members of both groups recently served the Academy with efficiency and excellence is how they helped solve a problem brought to the attention of school historian Dr. Mark Mastromarino. 

“I attended the October meeting of Derry’s Heritage Commission in order to meet with T. J. Cullinane, president of the Friends of the Forest Hill Cemetery,” Mastromarino stated. “I needed his advice on a matter that the Senior Executive Assistant to Pinkerton’s Board of Trustees brought to my attention. Ms. Linda Butler showed me that the granite slabs listing Pinkerton’s trustees’ names in the Memorial Garden had become almost unreadable because of dirt and mold. I knew T. J. could tell me how to safely clean them.” The Memorial Garden is a unique spot on campus, as described by Ms. Butler. “The Academy is so fortunate to have such a special and peaceful place for alumni, families, and friends to remember their loved ones and to contemplate the meaning of Pinkerton, past and present.”

As luck would have it, the Junior Historians were at the Commission meeting to present their plans for revamping the Alan Shepard Room at the Derry Museum. Mastromarino noted, “I was totally impressed with their independence, with their preparedness and organization, and with their actual ideas for improving the permanent exhibit.” Commissioner Cullinane turned the trustees’ stones project over to the Junior Historians without hesitation, as they had previously cleaned gravestones at Forest Hill Cemetery under his direction. Mastromarino was soon contacted by Noah Jones, the Junior Historians’ communications coordinator, who informed him that because the JROTC cadets had a service requirement, it would be easy to round up volunteers to join him on the project.

On Wednesday, October 11, Noah Jones and AFJROTC Cadet Autumn Miller, Cadet Lizzie Santella, and Cadet Lt Colonel Calvin Plante sprayed the slabs with D/2 biological solution provided by Cullinane, scrubbed them, and rinsed them with water, repeating as necessary. They also treated a couple of special pavers that also needed cleaning, and efficiently completed the entire task as dark settled over the campus. 

The Pinkerton community can now proudly read the names of the 74 trustees who helped make the institution what it is today. And Ms. Butler can have the additional names of trustees who have passed engraved into the cleaned blank slabs, thanks to the commitment of a group of young men and women who were happy to sacrifice their time and share their expertise for the good of their school. “It is so heartwarming when students rally together to help out on an important project such as this,” Ms. Butler noted, “and this happens so often at the Academy.” Mastromarino agreed: “It is just one of the many, many examples of our kids feeling and expressing Pinkerton Pride.”