White Deer Land Museum held book signing recently

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Pampa’s White Deer Land Museum hosted a book-signing event Friday, June 3, when Mary ‘Anthony’ Long Startz came to talk to the approximately 50 attendees about her book entitled “William McNamara, First Sergeant, Fourth United States Cavalry.” He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor and Mary was on a quest to learn more about her ancestor who was an Irish immigrant because of the famine in Ireland. He was in the Battle of North Fork of the Red River in Texas on Sept, 29, 1872. The story of how she came to acquire William McNamara’s actual medal was heart-warming. The director of the museum, Anita Gullett, made the event a success. She was aided by board members Tiffany Qualls, who made food an art form, and Sue Fatheree, who made cookies you think were baked in Heaven. Chris Larson is a treasure trove of information on the local wars and participates in making the cavalry come to life for children at the museum. He showed attendees what McNamara’s attire would have been when he received his medal, and what his daily clothing would have been like.