Courtesy of Brendan Gordon

Junior Brendan Gordon completes his Eagle Scout project at the Civil War Museum in Jefferson Barracks. Gordon also participates in other extracurricular activities such as volunteering at a retirement home and at the Manchester Church Choir. “I think it’s a good foundation they have going on there and I really like to give back to the community as best as I can,” Gordon said.

When a family friend offered the opportunity to participate in a year-round unpaid internship for high school and college students at the Missouri Civil War Museum, junior Brendan Gordon jumped at the chance.

“One of my best friends is Thomas Trout and his dad is the one that owns the museum,” Gordon said. “I [was able to] hear about it through him. I asked if he needed any help around there and he offered me the internship since he thought I’d be a good fit for it.”

Gordon was interested in the program due to the connection with founder Mark Trout.

“Mr. Trout has been like a second father to me in a way. He’s always had my back with everything, especially with the Eagle Scout project I did at the museum,” Gordon said. “I’ve known him for my entire life. I just wanted to do something for him because he’s done so much for me as well as helping out the community. I thought it’d be a good fit and it’s worked out very well.”

Though Gordon wants to pursue marketing and business post-high school, he still finds his time at the museum beneficial for his future.

“At this point, I want to go into the business standard or maybe cybersecurity. So, I think it’s a good hobby of mine in the future, doing it part-time possibly. And if the stars align, I could end up working for Mr. Trout. But that’s not likely and I will definitely continue this internship for a while and through college as well,” Gordon said.

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Alongside his family ties, Gordon’s ancestry also has historical connections to the museum. 

“My grandfather was an Air Force pilot in the Vietnam War so he’s buried there as well as my great grandfather John Gordon, [who] was part of the Civil War. When he got injured in war, he ended up getting gangrene so they had to amputate his left arm,” Gordon said. “So there is a lot of ties with my family historically being there as well.”

Although the internship is mainly for those who would like to study history, Gordon encourages anyone to do it if they want to give back to the community.

“I would recommend any student [for the internship] because Mr. Trout is a great person. He’s easy to get along with and he makes it very easy for you,” Gordon said. “It’s a good opportunity to give back to the community as well as build your resume and I think that you don’t have to be interested in history because honestly I was, but when I started working there, it just furthered my interest in that field. So anyone who is interested in an internship and [wants someone] easy to work with should go there.”