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Niswongers’ World War II era wedding picture.
Garst Museum
Garst Celebrates Uniform Donation with “A
Night at the Garst Canteen”
On Saturday, November 7, Garst Museum will rock to the Big Band sound.
The museum has received a donation of the World War II Army uniforms of
Robert L. Niswonger Sr. and his wife, Agnes Carpenter Niswonger. Agnes
played trombone in the Army Band, making the band music of that era
appropriate.
Robert was born in Darke County and Agnes in nearby Randolph County,
Indiana. As a young girl, Agnes and two of her sisters performed as the
Carpenter Trio. She later was a member and director of the Sweet
Adelines in Greenville.
Robert served as an infantryman in the Pacific. Agnes served in the
Army as a WAC, playing in the Army Band. The two were married at the
base chapel at Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia on December 29, 1944. The
reception was held at the mess hall. Agnes was given away by fellow WAC
Miss Alice Lee, the French horn player from the Army Band.
Their son recently donated these uniforms to the Garst Museum for
display in Keepers of Freedom, the military exhibit. The temporary
exhibit will be unveiled at the November 7 program. The new exhibit
will consist of the uniforms, photographs, and newspapers clippings.
After a short introduction and explanation of the exhibit, the Swing
Era Big Band and Beyond will perform for an hour and a half. Limited
dancing space will be available as well as refreshments provided by the
Fort Greene Ville Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
This program, the second in the annual Speaker Series, is at 4:00 pm on
Saturday, November 7 at the Garst Museum. Admission to the program is
free, but regular admission applies if you wish to tour the
museum. The museum is available for tours on Saturday from 10:00
am to 4:00 pm.
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