When Karen Mikesell came to Wapakoneta in 1988 as a new teacher, she purchased a home on West Benton Street. She did not know that the house had been the boyhood home of Neil Armstrong. Over the years, she has taken great care of the property. She resisted the temptations for vinyl siding and new windows. Her goal was to keep the house like it was when the Armstrong’s lived in it. Karen has always been willing to share the home. She hosted many events when NASA astronauts were in town visiting the Armstrong Museum. At age 82, she now believes it is time to find a new owner.
She retained Beverly Rex Cook, a regional realtor, to begin the process of selling the house. Beverly took all the normal steps to list the house and attract potential buyers. She realized the
historic significance of the home. She prepared a media release and sent it to several national media outlets. Alena Cerro, a reporter at The New York Times followed up on her release. Amazingly, the Times ran a story about the home being for sale on August 6. Beverly began receiving calls from people in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia.
Ken Schreiber, who was born and raised in Dayton, served as a U.S. Air Force Pilot, and later became an investment banker, was interested in providing funds to purchase the home and donate it for a local museum. Mr. Schreiber, who resides in Florida, came to Wapakoneta to meet at the Armstrong Air & Space Museum, tour the home, discuss the project details, and determine next steps.
At that point, the Foundation was invited to join in the conversation. Hearing the details, our Executive Committee felt we could help. We proposed creating a new Designated Fund within the Foundation for the project. Mr. Schreiber could then make his charitable donation of the purchase price. The fund would be established in the name of the Auglaize County Historical Society. The Society could then request a distribution from the fund to enable it to purchase the house.
Alena Cerro at the Times plans to write a follow up article about the purchase and plans for a local museum in the home that will tell the stories of Neil Armstrong’s early life in Auglaize County. The article will also report on the new fund within the Foundation and details about how to make a contribution. Plus, Beverly will be able to follow up with all the other people who contacted her after the first Times article about the home being for sale. The project is moving forward!
This is another excellent example of how our local Foundation can help make great things happen in our community!
