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Volunteers Are the Backbone of the Museum

The Hill Aerospace Museum volunteer staff presently boasts 100 active, personable, experienced, dedicated individuals from all walks of life, including active duty Air Force personnel. They range in age from the teens to 80+ years young.

Volunteering at the museum offers many rewarding and challenging areas in which diverse talents and expertise may be utilized. The various job descriptions for our volunteers are as follows:

Our volunteers have received many individual awards, including the State of Utah Director of Volunteers Outstanding Volunteer Award, the Utah Volunteer of the Year Award, three Air Force Angel Awards, the Utah Governor’s Silver Bowl Award, Volunteer Excellence Award, and Utah Museum Volunteer of the Year Award.

Volunteers

The volunteer staff has also won numerous other awards as a group. Among these are the Air Force Group Angel Award, the Utah Chapter of Valley Forge Outstanding Award, the Utah Governor’s Helping Hands Award, and the national J.C. Penney Golden Rule Award, along with a $1,000 grant for the Volunteer Staff. These awards are not given lightly, as they entailed state-wide or nation-wide competition.

This unusual conglomerate of volunteers staff the museum six days a week, a different team for each day. They work weekends and holidays and give up many hours of their time, often sacrificing their personal plans to accommodate the requirements of the museum. Their extreme dedication goes far beyond the expectations for “normal” volunteers. The visiting public is always giving them accolades for their warmth, friendliness, and hospitality, as well as voicing heartfelt thanks for the many long hours of restoration work performed on our aircraft and other artifacts.

The people who choose to volunteer at Hill Aerospace Museum find it a very rewarding experience. Consequently, our turn-over rate is very low. Many of our people have volunteered for the past ten years or more. Many have logged more than 5,000 hours, while a few have given upwards of 16,000 hours. Collectively, the volunteers at the museum have donated over 300,000 hours and the total is rising all the time. This donated time has saved the American taxpayer an estimated $2,500,000 in operating expenses for the museum.

Interested in volunteering at Hill Aerospace Museum? Please call our Volunteer Coordinator, Phil Butler at 801-777-2468 or CLICK HERE. We’d love to have your help!

Volunteer of the Quarter

Each quarter the Hill Aerospace Museum selects a “Volunteer of the Quarter.” Each quarter the current Volunteer of the Quarter will be listed right here on our Web page.

Chris Black- Fourth Quarter 2023

Chris Black- Fourth Quarter 2023

Christopher “Chris” Black was born at MacDill AFB, in Tampa, Florida. He was born into a military service family. His father, Captain Everett H. Black Jr. served in the 8th Air Force in World War II, and with the Air, Sea Rescue in the Korean War. His mother was a riveter on P-38’s and her brother was a waist gunner on a B-17. His older brother, Rusty, flew C-130’s in Viet Nam and his younger brother, Kevin, was in aircraft maintenance. Chris planned to attend the Air Force Academy but an eye injury forced a change of career plans. After graduating from BYU, he taught Marketing and Economics in high schools and colleges. Junior Achievement named Chris as their National Applied Economics Teacher of the Year and he was invited to teach Free Enterprise and International Marketing in Ukraine, Russia and Spain. Chris started at the Hill Aerospace Museum driving an uncle to the museum and he has now been a Volunteer for over 10 years. Chris and his wife Peggy have 9 children, one of which was a crew chief on a C-130.

 

2023 Volunteer of the Year

Dennis Hansen

Dennis Hansen was born and raised in Taylor, Utah. He graduated from Weber High School. He joined the Army National Guard in 1958, serving until 1966.

Dennis worked for the U. S. Postal Service until he moved to Hill Air Force Base as a warehouseman. He was selected for a mechanics learner program and entered a 30-month apprenticeship. From there, he worked on a production line and then in avionics flight testing for the F-4 checking aircraft systems and correcting flight discrepancies.

Dennis joined the U. S. Air Force Reserves in 1973. He was assigned to the 7th RAM Squadron. In 1978, the program became the 405th CLSS (Aircraft Battle Damage Repair Squadron). During that time Hansen worked on the F-4 and the F-16, models A and C. During his time in the “Reserves” he took many assignments abroad and in the states. He retired in 1998.

Hansen married Mary Lynn Vaughn on November 22, 1963; the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. They have five daughters, eighteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Dennis started volunteering at the Hill Aerospace Museum in 2012 and has thoroughly enjoyed his experience.

Dennis Hansen

Become a volunteer Today!