News Release

Volunteer award for Andersonville Volunteer

Date: November 27, 2015
Contact: Charles Barr, 229-924-0343 ext. 112

Release Date: 27 November 2015

Contacts:    Charles Barr, [e-mail], 229 924-0343, ext. 112

NR15-12               
Volunteer award for Andersonville Volunteer
Hartzog Enduring Service Award for Mr. James Culpepper

ANDERSONVILLE, Georgia – Andersonville National Historic Site would like to announce that it’s longtime volunteer Mr. James Culpepper was awarded the Hartzog Enduring Service Award for his unwavering dedication to Andersonville National Historic Site for the past fifteen years.

Mr. James Culpepper has dedicated fifteen years of his life in service to Andersonville National Historic Site. For almost seven days a week, every week of the year he tends the front desk at the National Prisoner of War Museum and delivers extensive prison tours to visitors. He has weathered dozens of employees, hundreds of volunteers and thousands of visitors over his fifteen years of service. Mr. Jimmy as he is known to the staff; has close to forty thousand hours of volunteer service.

Mr. Jimmy serves as a visitor services volunteer seven days a week, seven hours a day. His regular duties include working at the information desk in the National Prisoner of War Museum and leading guided interpretive walks of the prison site. Mr. Jimmy also leads all manner of special groups, such as military tours, step on bus tours and just general tours of the prison site. Part of what drew Mr. Jimmy to Andersonville was his passion and interest in American history. He is a voracious reader and is always reading the newest books and expanding his knowledge so he can handle any question thrown at him. Because Andersonville’s story expands beyond the Civil War prison located here to encompass the entire American prisoner of war experience, his constant quest for new knowledge and understanding of all parts of American history has a direct benefit on his ability to interpret the stories we tell here at Andersonville.

“To say that Mr. Culpepper has contributed to the success of Interpretation and Education program at Andersonville National Historic Site would be a vast understatement. I have never witnessed anyone- volunteer or employee- who has demonstrated his sustained level of dedication. Truly going well beyond the call of duty, Mr. Culpepper rarely takes a day off, faithfully serving the park visitors seven days per week for the past fifteen years.” Charles Sellars Superintendent

Andersonville National Historic Site is located 10 miles south of Oglethorpe, GA and 10 miles northeast of Americus, GA on Georgia Highway 49. The national park features the National Prisoner of War Museum, Andersonville National Cemetery and the site of the historic Civil War prison, Camp Sumter. ­Andersonville National Historic Site is the only national park within the National Park System to serve as a memorial to all American prisoners of war. Park grounds are open from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. The National Prisoner of War Museum is open 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., daily. Admission is free. For more information on the park, call 229 924-0343, or visit at www.nps.gov/ande/ Visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AndersonvilleNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/andeNHS

NPS

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