COUNTDOWN TO ROAD TO BERLIN: BRIEFING ROOM

Following up on last week’s blog, we are now moving into our first gallery of Road to Berlin: European Theater Galleries–the Briefing Room.

Briefing Room Rendering

The Briefing Room will take you through the big picture of the European-Mediterranean Theater of war. Upon entering this gallery you will face portraits and descriptions of the five leaders of the war in Europe: Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, Roosevelt, and Stalin. A map will depict Axis territorial gains during the war’s early stages.

Rendering of the Road to Berlin Briefing Room

Set in an abandoned room in North Africa, this room will recreate the immense pressures faced by Allied strategists and cover the events and status of the war as of November 1942, including the strategic choices that the Allied war effort faced in early 1942 and the landings in North Africa later that year. You will learn the rationale behind the decision to go to “Germany first,” and be introduced to the issues faced in deciding to invade North Africa before Europe. A European/Mediterranean Theater of War digital map will provide an overview of the campaign and the exhibit will employ state-of-the-art technology.

DONOR SPOTLIGHT: Mr. and Mrs. H. Mortimer “Tim” Favrot, Jr.

Mr. H. Mortimer “Tim” Favrot, Jr. is a board member and great advocate of the Museum. He and his wife, Kay, are dedicated capital campaign donors who have supported the Road to Victory capital campaign with a significant donation to sponsor the Briefing Room.

Their interest in the project came not only from their knowledge of WWII history, but also their belief that the Museum’s expansion would be a great asset to New Orleans. Mr. Favrot’s family has deep roots in New Orleans dating back to 1715 and he has a history of remarkable service to the city. Tim Favrot was in fifth grade and attending the New Orleans Academy when the United States entered World War II. He was playing touch football on Sunday, December 7, 1941, at his grandfather’s home when one of his cousins suddenly burst out the front door and yelled, “We are at war!” Favrot  learned that evening that American forces had been bombed at Pearl Harbor, he was not sure where Pearl Harbor was, or what this meant for the fate of our country.

He began to build models to track and identify military aircraft and studied maps, highlighting where American advances were being made. Eleven-year-old Tim was disappointed that he was not able to go off to war himself, but he was determined to learn all he could about America’s Arsenal of Democracy while remaining at home.

After completing two years at Jesuit High School in New Orleans, he attended Culver Military Academy in his mother’s native Indiana. His military career began at the age of 18 when he joined the Air Force ROTC at Tulane. He later spent two years in the Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, the location where the first atomic bomb test took place. Even after he was discharged from the service, his appreciation for the contributions of our armed forces continued to grow.

Many years later, his wife Kay introduced Tim to the late David Voelker, past Museum Chairman of the Board of Trustees, who invited him to join the Museum’s board. He accepted the Trustee role in 2004, and in that same year Tim and Kay made a significant gift to the Museum to complete Discovery Hall. This included the Mr. and Mrs. H. Mortimer Favrot, Jr. Orientation center, so named to recognize their philanthropy. Tim serves on several WWII board committees and his leadership was crucial in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when he chaired the Museum’s Facilities Committee, which oversaw storm-related damage repairs. It was during this period that the Museum launched the Road to Victory capital campaign. He felt great joy at the completion of the first phase of construction in 2009.

Kay and H. Mortimer “Tim” Favrot, Jr. at the premiere of The Monuments Men film at The National WWII Museum

Tim would like to be remembered as a “loyal supporter and advocate for the city of New Orleans.” His dedication to the Museum has distinguished him as such a leader. We extend our sincere thanks to Kay and Tim Favrot. Their support of our capital campaign allows us to fulfill our mission of telling the story of the war that changed the world—why it was fought, how it was won, and what it means today. We would not be where we are today on the Road to Victory without their leadership.

Up next in the Road to Berlin, The Desert War- North Africa gallery

Post by Lauren Bevis, Donor Relations Manager, and Ashley Nash, Prospect Coordinator.