NEW LONDON (NBC 26) — Bart Starr is perhaps best known for his iconic career with the Packers. But, his family says his true passion was helping others with his wife Cherry.
A new museum in New London, on the campus of Rawhide Youth Services, hopes to honor the couple's legacies.
- The new Bart and Cherry Starr Museum at the campus of Rawhide Youth Services showcases the couple's legacy.
- The Starr family says the couple was passionate about their family and service to the community.
- The museum opens to the public on June 21 and will be open Tuesdays through Thursdays.
"This is a springboard to continue the good works," said Bart Starr Jr., the son of Bart and Cherry Starr.
Bart Starr Jr. said the new Bart and Cherry Starr Museum is meant to not only honor his parents’ legacy with the Packers, but also showcase their love of family and dedication to service.
“You didn't want something cold and sterile, or just kind of matter of fact, you wanted the feeling: 'well, this is a couple that went through a lot of difficulty,' Starr said.
The museum is located on the campus of Rawhide Youth Services, a residential facility for at-risk youth that also offers various other programming in schools and communities across northeast Wisconsin.
Rawhide Youth Services president and CEO Alan Loux said the Starrs helped co-found the organization in 1966.
“They wanted [the museum] here on Rawhide’s youth campus because this is what they’ve said is their life’s legacy," Loux said.
Starr Jr. said Rawhide’s work holds personal significance to the family.
“My dad, for example, lost a brother and lost a son. My mom lost a son," Starr said. "But what they gained from Rawhide was the chance to save many, many, many more lives.”
It’s causes like Rawhide that Starr’s family said were most important to the two-time Superbowl champion hall-of-fame quarterback and former Packers head coach.
Loux says this is part of a $6.5 million dollar campaign that also includes a resource center for the community and a new youth home.
"Let's perpetuate this legacy," Starr Jr. said.
The museum opens to the public on June 21 and will be open Tuesdays through Thursdays.
