In this episode of the Rural Insights Podcast, David Haynes sits down with Dan Truckey, Director and Curator of the Beaumier UP Heritage Center at Northern Michigan University.

Topics discussed include Truckey’s involvement at the Beaumier Center, career paths for students interested in history and heritage preservation, the legacy of Dr. John Beaumier, and what we can expect at this year’s Sonderegger Symposium.

The Beaumier UP Heritage Center is a historical museum and educational facility that serves to promote and preserve the history and culture of the Upper Peninsula through an active slate of exhibitions and engaging public programs for the whole region. The center also collects and preserves artifacts related to the history of Northern Michigan University.

Before returning to his alma mater, Truckey served as executive director of the Grand Traverse Heritage Center in Traverse City. Previous employers included the Sioux City Public Museum in Iowa, Noah Webster House, the Connecticut Historical Society and the former Catskills Entertainment Hall of Fame.

Truckey is a folk singer-songwriter, and also enjoys downhill skiing, biking, hiking, playing tennis and spending time with his wife, Leigh Barry (’90)—whom he met at NMU—and their two kids, Thomas and Josie.