Stepping Back Into History With Beverly Wimer

By Julie Hill Lehr<\n>Contributor

A passion for history and service motivate Beverly “Bev” Wimer, a Trenton native who spread her wings and left her small-town roots for a time, but is now back home helping older citizens and contributing to the preservation of local history.

Wimer moved back to Trenton in January 2024 to be closer to her mother and to see if she might enjoy living in a smaller community again. Not only is she thriving, but she also is making a place for herself.

Early life

Wimer was born in Trenton in September 1960. The history of Trenton holds a special place in her heart.

“As a kid, I was free to explore the local wooded areas,” Wimer said. “I grew up in a neighborhood that was full of kids, and we spent many hours in the timber, searching for old bottles, arrowheads and more. In some ways, we were exploring history at a very young age.”

Wimer said a local history and culture class in high school introduced her to how to navigate microfilm machines at the library and research old newspapers.

“Old newspapers are incredibly fascinating to me,” Wimer said.

Wimer also loved sports and played softball, basketball and tennis, and ran track. She was a good student, enjoyed learning and felt fortunate to have a strong group of friends. She also feels lucky to have had valuable athletic experiences.

“I truly appreciated my coaches Ron McCollough, Dennis Adamson, Carl Carpenter and Jack Derry,” Wimer said.

After graduating high school in 1978, she attended Northwest Missouri State University and planned to major in physical education. She also was a student-athlete on the women’s softball team, where she played second base.

As college progressed, Wimer found out that as part of her physical education degree, she would have to student teach.

“The thought of student teaching felt scary and overwhelming,” Wimer said. “So, I changed majors because I didn’t feel confident enough in my ability to teach.”

She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in public and therapeutic recreation and set out for her first job. She moved to Springfield and worked for the Parks and Recreation Department as a recreation supervisor. After a couple of years, she was ready to try something different and became the assistant softball coach at Southwest Missouri State University.

While she was at Missouri State, Wimer enjoyed coaching at the college level. She began applying to graduate programs and was accepted into the exercise and sport science program at the University of Arizona. She also was offered a teaching assistant position within the Department of Exercise and Sport Science.

“Accepting a teaching assistantship was a financial necessity for me; therefore, I was faced with the fear of teaching once again,” Wimer said. “It didn’t take long to realize that the thing I’d feared might actually be what I would enjoy. I loved teaching, but more importantly, the students. In my final semester teaching at the U of A, I earned a meritorious teaching award.”

Continued career

Following graduate school, Wimer was hired at Eastern Arizona College. She stayed for one year as a full-time instructor and softball coach.

Wimer then became an assistant professor within the Riverside Community College District in Southern California. She also served as head softball coach for 10 years. She taught there for 31 years and ended her career teaching mostly wellness and stress management classes.

Along the way, Wimer learned valuable life lessons.

“I learned that every human has value and deserves respect,” she said. “I learned that students will enjoy learning in environments where they are accepted and appreciated for exactly who they are. I also learned that we, all of us, are far more capable than we probably realize and that people are basically good.”

Life back in Trenton

Since returning to Trenton, Wimer has been a helper to her mother and her mother’s friends, who are all older than 85 and live independently.

A few months ago, she also became the newest member of the Grundy County Museum board of directors. Wimer has taken the lead in creating an oral history project for the museum, featuring community residents talking about their memories of Trenton and the surrounding area.

“I’m interested in talking to longtime residents of Grundy County who have been involved in the community,” Wimer said. “I’ve done four interviews. The youngest is 85 and the oldest is 95. I am attempting to schedule with four others now. The obstacles in some cases have been humility. Some don’t understand how interesting their lives have been.”

People can watch the interviews on YouTube. Those interested in nominating someone for the project can contact Wimer by email at bwimer2020@gmail.com.

Wimer gives credit for the project to the rest of the museum’s board, whose members, she said, dedicate themselves to discovering more about the history of the county and bringing it to the people who live here.

“They are the ones who have made the museum possible and built it into such an incredible place,” Wimer said.