ABOUT ADAM PRESSWOOD
I am fascinated by the changes that took place in America and across much of the globe during the time period spanning the two world wars. In addition, I have long had an interest in war-time American leaders, and in their relationships with their European and British counterparts. As my studies continued, the Holocaust became a sub-specialty, and it continues to be so. Currently, my hope is to merge the skills and abilities that I have developed in multiple public history settings, as well as the writing skills that I developed in my prior career as a journalist, with my specific areas of historical interest. I would also like to teach, research, and publish as much of my own work as possible within the academic community.
BIOGRAPHY
I came to the field of history, and to the museum and public history realms, later in life than most people. After spending decades dabbling in social work, public education, and journalism/broadcasting, I finally hit the reset button on my career objectives in 2011. I began by taking classes on a part-time basis whenever and wherever I had the chance. As time went on, I was able to attend school on more of a full-time basis. I earned my bachelor’s degree in history from Washington University in St. Louis in 2018, and my master’s degree in history with a concentration in museum studies from the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) in 2020. During the completion of both degrees, I found myself fascinated by the changes that took place in America and across much of the globe during the time period spanning the two world wars. In addition, my long-held interest in war-time American leaders, and in their relationships with their European and British counterparts, finally found a home as well. As my studies continued, the Holocaust became a sub-specialty, and it continues to be so. Currently, I indulge these interests via my role as an adjunct instructor at Maryville University in St. Louis, Fontbonne University, through my work as an oral historian for Soldiers Memorial in St. Louis.
So much for my academic interests. However, more than two years after finishing my degree at UMSL, I was still struggling to gain real museum experience, despite my parttime role in the archives and collections department of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, a position I held from October of 2020 until June of 2022. That all changed in June of 2022, when I was fortunate enough to secure a position with the St. Louis Cardinals as the supervisor of stadium tours and museum operations. This role gave me the opportunity to assist with museum programming, and to oversee the museum’s membership program, things that my resume was lacking prior to 2022. My future plans are now to teach as often as possible, as well as to research and publish as much of my own work as possible within the academic community.
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RECENT WORK
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Supervisor, Stadium Tours and Museum Operations – St. Louis Cardinals
From June of 2022 until July of 2023, I oversaw, from my office under the stands behind home plate, a staff of part-time tour guides and museum staff for both Busch Stadium and the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum. In addition, I assisted with programming weekends, which took place during weekends in which the Cardinals were in town and playing at home. These programming weekends would find me hard at work helping the archivist and collections specialist set up objects for the Artifact Spotlight, as well as setting up the audio equipment that was used during Flashback Friday interviews, which were conducted with former members of the team. Lastly, I coordinated the publishing of a monthly newsletter for the part-time staff, as well as a monthly email newsletter for museum members.
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Oral Historian - Soldiers Memorial Military Museum
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Soldiers Memorial Military Museum is a state-of-the-art facility honoring local military service members, veterans, and their families. Located in the heart of downtown, Soldiers Memorial is home to exhibits that tell the story of American military history through the lens of St. Louis.