Geoffrey Giglierano

           The Giglierano family came to Goshen in 1969.  Mr. Joseph Giglierano worked for J. C. Penney and had been transferred from Pittsburg to the Penney’s regional office in Sharonville. He and his wife Beatrice bought the little farm on Simon’s Lane in Goshen, across from Short 48. If you look on the county auditor’s website, you‘ll see that the house was built in 1830 and sits on twelve and a half acres. I remember liking it very much. Besides the big old farm house, the barn, and a pool, there was a space enclosed by evergreens that felt like nature’s cathedral. The Giglierano family was welcoming and the household had an intelligent and learning atmosphere. Mom and Dad Giglierano were accomplished individuals in their own right. No wonder that their three sons excelled. Older brother Joe became a professor of marketing and decision sciences at San Jose State University in California and younger brother Jim is now the Geographic Information Officer for the State of Wisconsin. Later, when Penney's decided to transfer Mr. Giglierano again, he decided to quit instead and start his own advertising business, to keep the family here longer.

           After Geoff graduated from Goshen, he earned a B.A. Degree in Art /American History and a Master of Arts in American Urban History from the University of Cincinnati. He worked at the Cincinnati Historical Society and made a name for himself there, to include publishing some work in their periodical. Some folks might ask, "Yeh, but what can you do with a history degree?" Geoff’s resume is a great answer. Some of his projects have included participation in the planning and creation of new museums such as the Cincinnati Fire Museum, the Cincinnati History Museum at the Museum Center, the Clark County (Ohio) Heritage Center, the New York State Military Museum, the National Museum of the United States Army, and the Cape Girardeau Heritage Hall. He held positions at the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Museum in Connecticut, and the now closed Timex Museum. He was director of the Missouri Humanities Council in St. Louis. He is now Executive Director at Bolduc House Museum and Center for French Colonial Life in Missouri.

           He was Director of the New York City Fire Museum at the time of the 9/11 attacks. An article about Geoff stated, "That experience with FDNY provided Mr. Giglierano with a unique and very personal perspective about the importance of preserving and sharing stories that help us understand who we are as a nation and what we can accomplish with through courage and cooperation." To me in an email, Geoff said, "9/11 taught me that life is unpredictable and not terribly fair or rational, but when you have the experience of seeing what happens to someone who falls or jumps 110 stories, you understand that most of the unpleasant stuff that happens to us really isn't that big of a deal."

           Geoff is an author besides. In the 1970s he created a child's book about Toulouse LaMoose, an moose artist who followed his heart instead of convention, but I don't think that one ever saw print. In 1988, he co-authored "The Bicenntenial Guide to Greater Cincinnati: A Portrait of Two Hundred Years", a massive volume which functions both as a history and as a guide book. He was the primary author of "F.D.N.Y: An illustrated History of the Fire Department of New York City". He has contributed articles and editing services to other publications as well.

         Geoff participates in varied historical re-enactments. One might argue that he got his start when he dressed in World War One military garb and voluntarily became the door man at his senior prom. He has been a Civil War soldier, a World War Two sailor aboard the USS Stewart DE238, a destroyer escort/museum ship down in Galveston; a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition; a Jesuit priest from the 1700s; a pioneer gunsmith; and more. Portraying a German soldier in World War One, he was in a short film titled "Haber", which was released in 2008 and is available for educational purposes. Young persons might think of him as a "cosplayer" who does real historical persons instead of anime or super hero characters.

            Beyond all this, Geoff remains current. One article about him states, "Mr. Giglierano has been directly involved with collaborative experiments in the use of new technology, such as 3-D online immersive learning environments." Another program helps rural Missouri promote its history through a heritage tourism smart phone application.

           He has also been involved in a program to offer creative writing classes to veterans. Another article states, "'Our stories are as important to us as the air we breathe and the food we eat,'" he says. So he helps veterans and rural Missourians share their stories, and he helps parents read to kids who don’t even know what a story is yet. "'It’s through our stories that we share our values and ideas and what’s important to us,'" he says. "'It’s through our stories that we understand each other.'"

           Geoff's own story includes three children from three marriages. Emily, daughter of Joan, is now an assistant editor at Mulholland Books in New York City. William, son of Deborah, still lives in Cincinnati and is studying computer engineering. Simon, son of Jen, is in in first grade St. Louis.

          May the latest Goshen graduates make the kind of mistakes that result from actively engaging life, and may their adventures create good stories for the future history of Goshen.

         It is an honor to accept this award on behalf of Geoff Giglierano, a Goshen Alumnus who continues to accomplish much in the field of history and humanities, and who is a personal friend of mine—indeed, he was the best man at my wedding. His excuse for not being here from his current location in Missouri illustrates the importance and continued viability of his professional life. He wrote: "We're working on opening a new education and exhibits center this summer at the museum complex in Ste. Genevieve (go to www.frenchcoloniallife.org for information) and I just really have a limited amount of time and simply can't make it."

         Thank you for electing this good man to the Goshen Alumni Hall of Fame.  

         Jim Koch accepted Geof'frey Giglierano's plaque and wrote and delivered this tribute to him.

 Jim Koch and Joyce Sumpter Croley nominated Geoff Giglierano for the Goshen High School Hall of Fame.