Curator of historic Beaumont-area house to retire
BEAUMONT, Texas—Twice a week, Sam Daleo winds a 118-year-old Ansonia “Gloria” Swinger Statue Clock, which portrays a bronze angel perched on a half-globe hoisting a timepiece into the air with her right hand while she clutches a lyre in the other.
The Beaumont Enterprise reports Daleo, 67, said he likes to linger in the McFaddin-Ward House’s breakfast room on his way to the antique clock, enjoying the soft morning sunlight that filters through the historic home’s colorful stained-glass windows.
The 112-year-old house is empty during the 9 o’clock hour, which is when Daleo makes his daily rounds, he said.
Daleo, who has been the keeper of the McFaddin-Ward House Museum’s 35,000-piece collection for nearly 35 years, will wind the ball-swing clock for the last time in June, when he retires.
Daleo will be “sorely missed” when he takes his exit, said Karen Chapman, the museum’s public relations coordinator. “He’s as much a part of this house as the front door,” she said.
As curator of collections, Daleo said he notices when an object is moved even the slightest inch from its “just right” position.
He said some might view him as “obsessive compulsive,” but he thinks of the McFaddin-Ward House as almost his own.
His work is “not just telling the story of the object, but the family,” he said.
Sometimes it’s “hard to interpret a theme,” Daleo said, but the goal of every exhibit or tour is to “present the house for its history, the way things were” from 1907
to 1950.
“He’s like the historian of the evolution of our house,” Chapman said.
One of Daleo’s favorite table set pieces—of the 35 owned by the family—is now on display for the home’s upcoming spring exhibit, which begins at the end of May.
Noting the dinner plates’ 20th century Verona design, Daleo said setting the table is like an art, with colors, shapes and textures to take into account as well as the atmosphere of the room.
An artist himself, Daleo said he has been “inspired by (the) beauty” of the home, particularly the grounds, which have even “worked their way” into Daleo’s pieces.
After his last day as curator on June 29, Daleo said he looks forward to spending more time creating his own artwork.
As a lifelong Beaumonter, Daleo said he saw the McFaddinWard House from the street and thought it would be an “interesting place to work.”
When he interviewed for the job in 1983, Daleo said he “never thought I’d be here so long.”
He began as a curatorial assistant before the house officially opened in 1986 and has been the curator of collections since 2012.
In his three decades at the McFaddin-Ward House, Daleo has done everything from train tour guides and take photographs to catalog artifacts and even serve as house security.
The McFaddin-Ward House is “an easy place to fall in love,” according to Daleo. He said he sometimes has to pause and consider whether decisions for the collection are “for the museum or for yourself.”
It’s about “what the McFaddins would have done,” Daleo said.
According to Daleo, 1,212 boxes of artifacts were used in the process of converting the 12,800-square foot home to a museum.
Daleo, whose job includes the research and preservation of each piece, is familiar with nearly every object’s history and purpose.
The Ansonia “Gloria” Swinger Clock he winds every Monday and Friday is one of his favorite items.
“She keeps really good time for a 100-year-old clock,” said Daleo.
Although no one has lived in the house for decades, Daleo said part of his job is trying “to make it seem like the house is still lived in.”
He’ll drape summer dresses over the bed or hang up winter apparel as the seasons change.
It’s an “interesting endeavor,” said Daleo, adding that he’ll spend his last week “saying goodbye” to the house.