Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center

09/02/2026

History in Their Hands

"We absolutely love seeing the artifacts. The kids really enjoyed putting on gloves and being able to hold the items. Especially after learning about some of those items in class. It really brought history alive." – Educator Feedback, One-Four Star General Field Trip

We LOVE artifacts too! As part of our One-Four Star General Field Trip, students get their hands on history in our artifact investigation station. Artifacts aren't just objects; they're storytellers, and they help bring history to life for students.

Interested in "investigating" history with us? Reach out, and we'll get your crew scheduled!

🔗 https://www.mohhc.org/field-trips/

08/31/2026

GCSS Pre-Conference Clinic | ✨It's Possible

We're excited to share we are collaborating with the Georgia Council for the Social Studies (GCSS) this October to host a pre-conference clinic centered on our new It's Possible Activity Bundle!

⚙️ Geared Towards | Elementary Educators, Literacy Coaches and Specialists, and School Librarians
🗓️ Date | October 21, 2026
📍 Location | Courtyard by Marriott Athens Downtown 390 E Washington St. Athens, GA 30601
⏰ Time | 8:30am–3:30pm EDT
🍴Breakfast and Lunch Provided
📖 Receive a copy of It’s Possible: The Story of Ronald McNair, and walk away with standards-aligned mini-lessons ready for classroom use
💲Stipend included
🔗 Learn More & Register Here: https://bit.ly/4y4mKCm
*MUST BE REGISTERED FOR GCSS CONFERENCE TO ATTEND
**Space is Limited

08/30/2026

We're Hitting the Road!

📌 Athens, Georgia | October 21st–23rd
As a proud Georgia Council for the Social Studies Conference Gold Partner this year, we'll be exhibiting and presenting at the conference in Athens, GA, from October 21st–23rd. We're excited to share six of our 2026 Teacher & Senior Fellows—Alyssa Brewster, Mary Campbell Harris, Abby Martin, Jessica Holloway, Tarah Kemp, and Becky DuBose—will be presenting their work centered on the BIG Stories of Medal of Honor and Space Medal of Honor Recipients.

📌 Chicago, Illinois | December 3rd–6th
From December 3rd–6th, we'll be at the National Council for the Social Studies Conference up in Chicago, IL. We're excited to share two of our 2026 Teacher Fellows, Tarah Kemp and Becky DuBose, were selected to present their work. They will be introducing a MOHHC cookbook entitled History at the Table along with accompanying lessons during a full-day pre-conference clinic. This forthcoming cookbook highlights the BIG stories of 12 Medal of Honor Recipients and offers of "taste" of places where they served through hand-selected recipes. Our 2024 Katie Fields Bell Teacher Fellow, Brittany Haynes, will be presenting a lesson centered on exploring Cherokee perspectives in U.S. history and will be accompanied by Medal of Honor Recipient Dwight Birdwell—one of only five Cherokee Medal of Honor Recipients.

Stop by our booth at GCSS, and attend our sessions at GCSS and NCSS to learn more about our programs and resources available to both teachers and students!

SESSIONS
GCSS (Oct. 21st, 8:30am–3:30pm EDT) | It's Possible Pre-Conference Clinic
GCSS (Date & Time TBD) | History at the Table Presentation
GCSS (Date & Time TBD) | Teacher Fellowship Program Overview
GCSS | Booth in Exhibit Hall
NCSS (Dec. 3rd, 8am–5pm CST) | Tasting History Pre-Conference Clinic
NCSS (Dec. 6th, 8:30am–10:15am CST) | From Policy to Patriotism: Exploring Cherokee Perspectives in U.S. History

08/27/2026

A new Tennessee flag is flying proudly over Aquarium Plaza!

Thank you to State Representative Greg Martin for donating the flag now flying outside the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center.

We appreciate your support!

08/26/2026

Thank you to the students of Southern Adventist University for their service here at the Heritage Center as part of Southern Serves Day!

On Thursday, August 20 we had students of history, political science, and animation join us for a program and then a cleaning of our main gallery. We appreciate their hard work and wish them best of luck for the academic year!

Thank you to Cheryl Craven for organizing and to Dr. Lisa Clark Diller for facilitating and cleaning alongside her students!

08/26/2026

You never know who people are. And you certainly never know who they will become.

A young Dolly Parton once walked up to Captain Larry Taylor’s Knoxville band and asked if she could sing with them.

He said yes.

At the time, neither of them could have known what waited ahead. She would become one of the most beloved entertainers and philanthropists in American history. He would become a Medal of Honor Recipient whose courage saved four men under enemy fire in Vietnam.

But decades later, Captain Taylor’s strongest memory of Dolly was not her talent or fame. It was that she was kind, sincere and genuine and that success had not changed her.

Treat people well before you know their titles. Encourage them before you know their potential. Give them room to step forward before the rest of the world recognizes what they carry.

You may be sharing a stage, a classroom, an office or an ordinary conversation with someone whose story has barely begun.

https://www.mohhc.org/captain-taylor-and-dolly-parton-are-singing-together-again/

Captain Larry Taylor once sang with a young Dolly Parton on Knoxville television. His memories reveal the heart behind two remarkable people from Tennessee

08/25/2026

In 2023, just one week before receiving the Medal of Honor, Captain Larry Taylor sat down with NewsChannel 9’s Josh Roe and shared a remarkable story from his youth: before Vietnam, he once sang on local television in Knoxville alongside a young Dolly Parton.

Today, as Tennessee mourns Dolly’s passing at 80, we’re resharing this wonderful intersection in the lives of two remarkable Tennesseans.

We’d like to think they’re singing together again.

Thank you to WTVC's Josh Roe and WTVC-TV NewsChannel 9 News for preserving this story.

Captain Larry Taylor told me a story once about singing with Dolly Parton on local TV in Knoxville before he went to fight in Vietnam.

Dolly Parton's family announced today that she passed away. She was 80 years old.

This interview with Larry Taylor happened the week before he was awarded the Medal of Honor.

https://youtu.be/_tBznZkk1RE?si=y0LJI2QU0-m4hZU6

08/25/2026

Our field trip experiences aren't just for the big kids!

Our Beyond the Pages field trip experience is geared towards little learners—grades K–2nd. It's aimed at both supporting literacy development and making the history of the Medal of Honor, the stories of MOH Recipients, and the six character values (courage, sacrifice, patriotism, commitment, integrity, and citizenship) associated with the Medal more accessible to little ones.

Learn about the heroic deeds and noble character of those who have received our nation’s highest award for military valor—the Medal of Honor—at reading stations along our gallery timeline!

✔️ Literacy Focused
✔️ Reading Stations Along Our Gallery Timeline
✔️ Living Historians and Actors
✔️ Character Values
✔️ Kinesthetic Learning
✔️ Courage Crafts
✔️ Puppet Show

08/21/2026

The Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center is proud to celebrate our very own Dr. Maranda Wilkinson, Ed.D.! Congratulations! 🎉

Dr. Wilkinson successfully defended her dissertation, Connecting to Place: The Impact of Place-Based Education on Immigrant Youth Populations, last Monday, August 10, 2026, at Wilkes University as part of the university’s Ed.D. Leadership Program.

Dr. Wilkinson’s research explores place-based education, its effect on the experiences of immigrant youth and their outcomes, and the importance of connecting these students meaningfully to place. Maranda’s commitment to excellence in every facet of her program is in keeping with the values that we uphold at the Heritage Center. Dr. Wilkinson’s work has done this institution proud.

Thank you to the educators that made this Ed.D. possible, including those pictured here from right to left: Dr. Reinert, Dr. Blanken-Webb, and a familiar face to the MOHHC, Dr. Reese!

We look forward to the important work that Dr. Wilkinson will continue to pursue here at the Center and beyond. The meaningful programming that she has built is a testament to the value she places on education, students, educators, and all those who play a role in shaping who we are.

We know this is just the beginning of even more BIG Energy, BIG Stories, and BIG Impact.

Congratulations to Dr. Maranda Wilkinson from your education department and the Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center!

08/21/2026

Places have stories. We choose to explore them with our Teacher Fellows.

Over 60 Medals of Honor were awarded to individuals for their actions on the Gettysburg Battlefield. "It's one thing to read about where these individuals made decisions. It's another thing to be able to stand where they stood to better understand those decisions." – Britt Isenberg, Gettysburg Foundation

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Fields and Bell Families, the Osborne Foundation, and American Legion Post 14 for ensuring our MOHHC Teacher Fellows were afforded field excursion opportunities throughout this year's program.