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SEPTEMBER 2017

FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS

S ec t i on A

The National Museum of Funeral History

Houston, Texas

Museum

Corner

The National Museum of Funeral History, located in Houston, Texas,

houses the country’s largest collection of funeral service artifacts and

features renowned exhibits on one of man’s oldest cultural customs.

It belongs to YOU and everyone in the funeral industry. Visitors can

discover the mourning rituals of ancient civilizations, see up-close au-

thentic items used in the funerals of US Presidents and Popes and ex-

plore the rich heritage of the industry which cares for the dead.

The museum is located at 415 Barren Springs Drive, Houston,

TX 77090 and is open Monday-Friday from 10am-4pm, Saturday

from 10am-5pm and Sunday from 12pm-5pm. Admission is $10

for adults and children age 12 and older, $9 for seniors and vet-

erans; $7 for children 6-11 years old; and free for children age

5 and younger. For more information, visit

www.nmfh.org,

“like”

the museum on Facebook or call 281-876-3063.

www.nomispublications.com

Funeral Home & Cemetery News

Contributors share insights and

exchange ideas.

logs

and the replica of the casket in which Barris was buried,

which is very unusual and creative.

Buck Kamphausen, who is a funeral director, stated

that he had attended the Barris funeral.

“It was a WOW! I knew he would have something dif-

ferent. I have fond memories of George. He was a great

part of the automobile world,” Kamphausen said.

Adam West, star of TV’s Batman, died in Los Angeles

on June 9. He was 88. He is memorialized in the exhibit

and visitors can sign a Memorial Book in his honor.

The Tribute to George Barris special exhibit has drawn

reporters curious to learn more about the Batmobile dis-

played at the Museum in tribute to the car’s creator.

Joe Southern, editor of the

Fort Bend Star

, visited the

exhibit earlier this year. He reported, “Holy dead-ringer,

Batman! It looks like the Batmobile is in a very grave sit-

uation!”

Southern wrote, “As any self-respecting child of the ‘60s

would do, I went to the museum to check it out. As a

fan of the old TV show and being naturally curious about

the museum itself, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to see

Museum Celebrates its 25th Anniversary all year

with special exhibit, A Tribute to George Barris

Celebrating its 25th Anniversary, the National Museum of

Funeral History unveiled a new special exhibit,

A Tribute to

George Barris

in February, outside the entrance of the

Thanks

for the Memories

permanent exhibit.

The President of the National Museum of Funeral Histo-

Genevieve Keeney

stated, “The Museum’s Thanks for the

Memories exhibit is a visitor favorite. Celebrity funerals cap-

ture public attention around the globe—from the magnifi-

cent to the truly outrageous. Visitors are curious and enjoy an

up—close and personal look at the grand farewells for some

of the world’s most iconic figures.”

Keeney stated that The Tribute to George Barris special ex-

hibit was an opportunity to highlight George Barris, known

throughout the world as the ‘original’ King of Kustomizers.

He created iconic automobiles including the original 1966

Batmobile, the Beverly Hillbillies jalopy, the Munster Koach

and casket turned dragster (the “Drag-U-La”) for the Mun-

sters, and KITT for Knight Rider.

tional $5. You’ve got to do it. You know you want to. Just

tell your non-Bat-friends that the Joker made you do it!”

“The exhibit, however,” Southern wrote, “is about much

more than a really cool car. It’s about the car’s creator,

George Barris. Included in the exhibit is a replica of his

casket, which is bright yellow and embellished with Bat-

wing style fins. There are models of some of the cars he

created along with some of his personal memorabilia.”

Personal items of George Barris, including distinctive

clothing, a personalized guitar and other memorabilia

were loaned to the Museum compliments of Brett Barris,

the son of George Barris. These items were recently added

to the exhibit.

Keeney urges everyone who wants to see the replica of

the 1966 Batmobile to make plans to visit the Museum

soon, since the Batmobile returns to the Bat Cave at the

end of the year.

Be sure to follow themuseumon Facebookwww.faceboo

om/funeralmuseum for the latest news and happenings.

Buck Kamphau-

sen

, who is on the

Museum’s board,

has an outstanding

private collection

of unique automo-

biles and fascinat-

ing hearses that are

on exhibit at the

Museum. He owns

the replica of the

1966 Batmobile

The Batmobile, auctioned in

2013, two years before Barris’

death, fetched $4.6 million.

Keeney said, “Not only is a

replica of the 1966 Batmo-

bile on exhibit, there is a rep-

lica of the casket George Barris

was buried in recreated by the

original casket designer,

Richie

Valles

, a memorial folder from

Barris’ funeral along with oth-

er personal memorabilia.”

this in person. I have to tell

you, it’s worth the trip.”

Southern had visited a

mall in Elizabeth City,

NC where one of the real

Batmobiles from the TV

show was on display 23

years earlier.

After his visit to the Na-

tional Museum of Funeral

History, Southern wrote,

“Kemphausen’s

replica

is in much better condi-

tion and is decked

out with all the

Bat-bells and Bat-

whistles befitting

the original Bat-

mobile. Visitors to

the museum can

sit in the car and

have their picture

taken for an addi-

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Association

CONTINUED

Seven graduate from Two Year Program

ICCFA Encourages Owners and Managers to attend

Fall Management Conference

STERLING,VA—

The In-

ternational

Cemetery,

Cremation and Funer-

al Association

(ICCFA)

has announced the pro-

gram schedule and line-

up for the 2017 Fall Man-

agement Conference that

will be held October 4-6 at

the Hyatt Regency Indian

Wells Spa and Resort in In-

dian Wells, CA., which is

surrounded by vast moun-

tain views. The serene nat-

ural surroundings are the

perfect backdrop for net-

working and expanding

business skills.

The conference co-chairs

Lee Longino

and

Paul

Goldstein

have designed

a program that will find

solutions to some of the

most common challenges

facing owners, executives

and high-level managers

in our profession. Featur-

ing three keynote sessions,

along with two evening

networking receptions, a

government and legal af-

fairs breakfast, and the an-

nual Fall Management Golf

Tournament, this confer-

ence offers attendees a

fresh

perspective on competitive

positioning, workforce so-

lutions that will increase

performance, and innova-

tive customer-centric strat-

egies that will drive business

growth and reputation.

The keynote sessions be-

gin with a workshop on

Thursday, October 5, called

“Think You Know Your #1

Competitive Advantage?

Think Again!” presented by

competitive advantage ex-

DEERFIELD,IL—

Selected Independent Funeral

Homes

congratulates the

Leadership Academy

graduat-

ing class, Squigglution (2015-2017). The seven mem-

bers were recognized during a special ceremony held in

Raleigh, NC earlier in the year.

Those who successfully completed the program in-

cluded;

Eric A. Bliley,

JosephW. Bliley Company,

Inc,

Richmond, VA;

Todd Deibert, Baue Funeral Homes,

Crematory and Cemetery,

St Charles, MO;

Barry Do-

newar Sr, Mothe Funeral Homes, Inc,

New Orleans,

LA;

Ashley Fryer Beinhauer, Family Funeral Homes,

McMurray, PA;

Michael Mientkiewicz, Howe-Peter-

son Funeral Home and Cremation Services,

Taylor,

MI;

Olivia Starks, Starks Family Funeral Homes,

St.

Joseph, MI and

Abby Sweeney, Horan & McConaty

Funeral Service/Cremation,

Aurora, CO.

Selected’s Leadership Academy, now in its seventh year

of existence, offers a unique and rewarding opportunity

for members of Selected Independent Funeral Homes

interested in developing or enhancing leadership skills.

The Academy promises to engage and grow participants

via a structured curriculum including interactive con-

ference calls, personal coaching calls and face-to-face

experiences facilitated over a two-year period.

One of this year’s graduates, Abby Sweeney, explains

why she decided to participate in the Selected Leadership

Academy. “I believe that the key is to start with leading

yourself and continuing that education throughout our

lives, but then accepting the responsibility and commit-

ment to developing that in others as well,” said Sweeney.

For more information on Selected’s programs, becoming a

member of Selected Independent Funeral Homes or to lo-

cate a member, visit Selected’s website or call 800-323-4219.

pert,

Jaynie L. Smith,

who

will teach attendees how to

uncover and tout their own

advantages to increase their

customer retention and

sales close rates.

Then learn about talent

management with

David

DeLong,

workforce expert

and author, as he presents

“Closing the ‘Skills Gap’:

Innovative Talent Man-

agement Solutions for a

Changing Workforce.”

Thursday’s session will

end with a panel discus-

sion led by

John Bolton,

CCE, CCrE, CSE. The

topic will be on why fam-

ilies are choosing direct

cremation and how to of-

fer them the value they are

truly seeking through indi-

vidualized services and me-

morialization.

On the morning of Fri-

day, October 6,

Chip Bell

will give his talk “Wired

and Dangerous: How Your

Customers Have Changed

and What to Do About It.”

A strategy expert and au-

thor, Bell will change the

way that attendees see their

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