5Questions for ... Michael Aikey

Who are you? I’m the director of the New York State Military Museum at 61 Lake Ave. in Saratoga Springs. I’m retiring May 22. I’ve been director since the museum opened in 2002. Museum Curator Courtney Burns will become acting director when I leave.

Themuseum gets nearly 13,000 visitors a year, people from all over the U.S. and other countries such as Canada, France and Great Britain. Plus, our website gets more than 3 million hits per year, primarily from Civil War buffs. This year, it’s going to be higher because of so much interest surrounding the 150th anniversary of major Civil War battles such as Gettysburg.

The museum is owned by the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. When I first joined the agency, I did an inventory of all military artifacts at New York state armories. It was very interesting.

What are some of the most unique things at the museum?

The collection includes Col. Elmer Ellsworth’s uniform. He was born in Malta and was the first Union officer killed during the Civil War. We also have Gustav Schurmann’s uniform. He was the “Little Bugler” who joined the Union Army in 1861 at age 12 and was on the staff of four major generals. He was also aWhite House playmate of Tad Lincoln, the president’s son.

The museum also has the largest collection of state military flags in America and the largest collection of state Civil War flags. I don’t think most local people realize how important the museum is and how much

it means to the community. What other jobs have you had? Actually, this is my fifth career. I have a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library science. I started out running my own foreign and antiques car business. My collection includes a 1967 Austin Healey 3000, a 1968 MGC GT and a 1957 Jaguar XK140.

After that, I ran a bookstore in Delmar and then I sold antiquarian military books for 20 years, mostly catalogs at shows. Then, I was a librarian at Troy Public Library. Do you have retirement plans? Tinker with the cars. I have a sailboat on Saratoga Lake. Plus, I’d like to research military history and do some speaking and writing.

What did you like best about working at the museum?

Meeting the people, especially veterans and people interested in history. Our oral history project for veterans is very interesting. One time, we interviewed a World War II veteran who was blind and had lost an arm, but he was so upbeat. Interviewing veterans puts so much of life into perspective.

Go to www.nysmm.org for more information.