NORFOLK, Va. – General Douglas MacArthur’s iconic cap, an artifact in the City of Norfolk’s MacArthur Memorial museum, is a finalist for a conservation prize from the Virginia Association of Museums (VAM).
The public can help fund the conservation of MacArthur’s cap by voting for it on VAM’s website. The artifact with the most votes will receive $1000 to fund conservation. Voting is FREE and is open Feb. 11 - 28. Individuals can vote once daily online.
General MacArthur's distinctive cap is an internationally recognized symbol of America keeping promises, of civilian control over the military, of liberation and peace, and of triumph over fascism and militarism. MacArthur wore this cap from 1936 to 1961, through many important moments in American history. In 1942, saltwater exposure caused the cap to shrink as he escaped the besieged island of Corregidor aboard PT-41. Arriving in Australia during one of the darkest periods of the war, he wore the cap as he famously promised "I Shall Return.” When he kept that promise in 1944, he was wearing the cap as he was pictured wading ashore in the Philippines. He was also wearing the cap when he presided over the surrender of Japan, the Occupation of Japan, and the Korean War.
Over the last 14 years, VAM’s Top 10 Endangered Artifacts program has benefitted over 200 institutions by highlighting the importance of Virginia museums and the conservation required to preserve the history of the artifacts and the stories they tell.
About the MacArthur Memorial: The MacArthur Memorial was founded in 1964 as a museum and library dedicated to the life and times of General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, who is buried in the Memorial’s rotunda with his wife Jean. The City of Norfolk operates the Memorial in close partnership with the nonprofit General Douglas MacArthur Foundation. The museum serves 120,000 people annually and is open free of charge. For more information, please visit www.macarthurmemorial.org.