A conversation between Kate Jiggins and Erin Betley, former President and Vice President of the Lower Merion Historical Society

Erin: Well my friend, it’s time to reflect on a fulfilling, exhausting, and creative two and a half years since you and I were elected to lead the Lower Merion Historical Society in November 2022. As our terms end and we move on to new roles in the Society, I thought we might take the opportunity to share our stories to give our members and our community insight into what is now a revitalized Society that celebrated its 75th anniversary and looks ahead to the next 75. Let’s start at the beginning… how did the Society become part of your life?

Kate: I think at this point everyone knows about the infamous gazebo, but to rehash in 75 words or less – I moved back to the area, the pandemic hit, and I started looking for interesting places to visit and volunteer. I met [previous Treasurer] Ross Mitchell at a fundraiser Glen Foerd, and later ended up reaching out to the Society to request a letter of non-opposition to erect a nearly-100 year old cast iron gazebo that’s been in my family for four generations next to my house. Ross is the one who replied, and the rest, as they say, is history. Now your turn!

Erin: I see what you did there with tying in the number 75! The Society became part of my life in 2021, when my research into the history of my family’s century-old house in Bala Cynwyd led me in some very unexpected directions, later culminating in my successful nomination for a PA Historical Marker to recognize the trailblazing women who built the estate that became my neighborhood. One of my first contacts on local history was the legendary [former Society President] Ted Goldsborough, who introduced me to the amazing collection at the Society. At this time, its leadership was at an impasse, and Ted was helping to recruit people to constitute a new Board. You and I had never met before we joined 9 other total strangers, all of us tasked with leading the Society into a more stable future. Looking back on the intervening years, what do you see as some of our greatest successes?

Kate: Great question. As you know too well, things were pretty dire when we took the helm – and I’d never even served on a Board before, much less led one. Stacks of unaccessioned items on every surface, unfiled taxes, lapsed charitable status, years of unanswered emails, and of course a pretty scanty membership – between the pandemic and Jerry’s [Francis, former 20-year president] illness, every aspect of the Society and its operations were in dire straights. It was definitely baptism by fire! But here we are two and a half years later with a healthy Society – a re-engaged membership base, a robust program schedule (thanks to you!), a top-to-bottom operations overhaul, and of course our shiny new website! I have to give you a lot of the credit though – I really don’t know when you sleep. What would you say you’re most proud of?

Erin: Being part of our dynamic duo, of course! Beyond that, one of the most significant and meaningful actions we took was to recruit Paige Bartello, our dynamic administrative coordinator who has leveraged her collections management expertise to really turn things around for us, with the help of many dedicated volunteers. Our vibrant internship program has uplifted creative ideas and energy from local high school, undergraduate, and graduate students. We developed a host of amazing community programs ranging from research presentations to cemetery walks to historical marker dedications. One of the ironic things about our tenure is that neither of us have served on a Board before we were tapped – what have we learned since?

Kate: I am really struggling to answer that. There’s just so much! One thing I realized for sure is it’s easier to work well and communicate with colleagues if you know each other. I really enjoyed our extracurricular get-togethers as a team, and they definitely allowed me to see other perspectives and ideas more clearly. I also learned that you can rise to any challenge if you have no other option! You?

Erin: I couldn’t agree more, it has been inspiring to see what a dedicated team can do. The past few years have made clear to me how important local history is, and how communities need to understand their history, share it with each other and with newcomers, and continue learning more and telling stories. Sharing the discovery of the hidden history in my own backyard is a key memory I will hold from this time, what about you?

Kate: One of my favorite memories is the summer day we had the Presidents Emeritus ceremony for Ted and Jerry at the Academy, and Gregory [Kate’s at the time 11-year-old son] and Board member Brad [Upp] got into a deep and lengthy conversation about history. That really was so inspiring to me, to see two generations geeking out over the same thing, and knowing I was helping to facilitate those sort of conversations not just today but in the future too. What a gift.

Erin: Let’s end by looking forward. My hope for this organization is that through financial stability, re-engaged members, volunteers, and interns, an accessible collection, and growing partnerships with local community organizations, the Society will continue to help Lower Merion and Narberth remember what was, and imagine what can be. 

Kate: My hope is that the foundation we helped to rebuild, with so much heart and effort, will sustain the Society for generations to come. Best wishes to Linda Tasker and Scott Reynolds, our successors in leading the Society!