For Mike Shane, the look of surprise on his face during the awards ceremony presented by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution was genuine.
The surprised look on Shane’s face was because the Sunday afternoon awards ceremony at the Poplar Bluff Museum was kept a secret from Shane until he arrived.
Officers from the museum and NSDAR organized a tribute and an awards ceremony for the local community member.
Poplar Bluff Chapter Regent Margaret Shackleford presented the award on behalf of the national organization but reflected on Shane’s achievements before the formal ceremony.
“It really is an achievement,” Shackleford said. “What he (Shane) has done is an achievement, because he’s preserving this for the next generations.”
She described his work with the Boy Scouts and other organizations within the city while noting that patriotism was a central theme in Shane’s accomplishments.
“He’s teaching patriotism,” she said. “Because the more you learn about your community, the more attached that you become and you grow. It is community building. And it’s important because we need to preserve our history if the town’s going to retain its own identity.”
Kati Ray, board secretary for the Poplar Bluff Museum presented Shane’s award and spoke about his accomplishments.
“His creativity and artistry have touched every room and every corner of this museum,” Ray said. “He has paintings in the Sports Hall of Fame; he developed the first responder’s area; and he reorganized and added exhibits in the Scout room, school room and medical rooms.”
She also noted that the main room of the museum, which is dedicated to the memory of Pvt. Bille Kanell, a veteran from Poplar Bluff who received the Congressional Medal of Honor, was also completed largely by Shane.
“He has handled every aspect of the exhibits, and handled the artifacts in that room and the management of the artifacts,” Ray said. She went on to describe how Shane had developed the Hall of Heroes to honor military veterans from Butler County in 2021.
Shane said the museum is similar to a man cave.
"I am lucky enough that the board members give me the freedom and carte blanche to work on anything I want," he said during an interview following the awards ceremony.
Shane also reflected that the Poplar Bluff Museum has gradually turned into a community museum.
"In the last year, we have had an incredible amount of donations which has allowed us to do a lot of things like add the handicap accessibility," he said.
But perhaps the greatest outreach by Shane is his book and newspaper articles.
According to Ray, Shane’s book “Tall Tales: Stories from the Poplar Bluff Museum” took off and became the greatest outreach that the museum has ever seen.
“The newspaper articles have people coming in saying ‘Mike sent me,’” Ray said. “The book has sold well and Mike has donated the profits to the museum.”
Members of NSDAR emphasized how Shane’s award was a national recognition and not just a local award.
“Because what we’re doing today is celebrating the rich heritage that we have in our community. And with a diversity of experience, some people just stand out more than others,” Shackleford said during the awards presentation. “And Mike Shane is one of those people.”
Shane is retired from the military and a 20-plus year career as an EMS helicopter pilot. Today, he is still working as a substitute teacher within the community.
This story was edited for spelling and content at 10:58 a.m. April 25.