Roudebush Remembered
When Tim Roudebush died last week in his home near Kansas City, he left an important legacy to McKean County.
During the 1990s the Kansas businessman provided the impetus and much of the financial support for the foundation of the Eldred World War II Museum and Camp Penuel East, a Christian summer camp for inner-city youths.
The Kansas entrepreneur was the founder and owner of several business ventures, notably Akro Fireguard, Inc., which sold a fire-retardant process to airlines around the world.
Although he was born and raised in Cleveland, Tim’s family had interests in the Eldred area, where Tim’s lawyer father had facilitated an arrangement with both the United States and Canadian governments to establish a munitions plant during World War II. Following the war, the elder Roudebush purchased the land, which included a lodge and several miles of bridle trails.
In addition to his businesses, Tim had a strong interest in history and politics, holding office as a Republican in his home county. He became increasingly concerned about the declining understanding of American history, especially among students. In his frequent business travels, he often quizzed people about recent events, and was surprised to learn that many had no memory of United States allies or opponents during World War II.
His passionate belief in the importance of understanding the past led to the establishment of the Eldred World War II Museum. Jay Tennies, former Museum Director and currently its Business Manager, notes that “Tim cared enough about World War II to make it a continuing part of public discourse. It wasn’t enough that there were a slew of books and documentaries on the subject—they clearly weren’t getting the message across. He wanted to present the stories, to portray the heroes, and to educate in a broad sense. That’s why so much of his time and effort and resources went into building the museum.”
The Museum originally consisted of a small two-story building on Eldred’s main thoroughfare. Inside were battle maps, flags, photographs, and examples of the munitions manufactured at the Eldred plant during the war. Over the years, expansion projects included a library addition with a high vaulted ceiling, and the purchase of an adjacent furniture store, which more than doubled the display space.
A great deal of attention was lavished on World War II veterans. Vets from the area donated artifacts to the facility. The word spread to other communities, attracting visitors from Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and further away. Medal-of-Honor recipient Mitchell Paige came from California with his wife and left impressed, later donating a plethora of artifacts which now adorn “Mitchell Paige Hall” in the Museum.
Linda Devlin, Director of the Allegheny National Forest Visitors’ Bureau was impressed by Roudebush’s “passion to educate children and the general public” about the issues and results of World War II. “He constantly went out of his way to get groups and new visitors to come,” she said, noting that this was a great boon to tourism in general in the area.
The educational mission of the Museum continues strongly, with numerous field trips from both Pennsylvania and New York schools. During the current semester, University of Pittsburgh at Bradford students in one of Dr. Wayne Brinda’s upper-level Education classes have prepared resource guides for teachers conducting field trips to the Museum. “The activities and lessons are quite broad, covering resources in the areas of Social Studies, English and Math,” according to Dr. Brinda.
Roudebush’s tireless promotion of the Eldred World War II Museum extended outside the United States, most notably to Russia, where he made several business trips. His contacts with Russian veterans led to museum visitors from the Soviet Union, and the exchange of wartime artifacts between the Eldred Museum and a similar establishment in the Soviet Union.
Tim Roudebush passed away at the age of 83 last Wednesday, April 3. His indomitable belief in the importance of understanding the past to better guide the future lives on in the Eldred World War II Museum.
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