New scholarship keeps promising intern at the Charles River Museum

When 22-year-old Gabriel Hurdle first walked into the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation last year, he was simply looking for experience. A second-year student at Quinsigamond Community College majoring in history, Hurdle knew he needed work experience to pursue a career in the field. He found much more than that — a passion.

“I was astounded by how much stuff there is in the museum,” Hurdle said. “Every time I came in, there was something new to discover. I fell in love with the place.”

Over the past year, Hurdle has volunteered in the museum’s archives, cataloging hundreds of industrial artifacts and historic papers, including World War I and II-era defense contracts from the Waltham Watch Company. His diligence and curiosity quickly made an impression. “He’s super smart, motivated and has a great eye,” said Steve Guerriero, who leads the museum’s educational programs. “He has even started training other interns and onboarding them — a real force multiplier for us.”

But when Hurdle began looking for paid internships elsewhere, Guerriero worried the museum might lose him. “Our vision always outpaces our resources,” Guerriero said. The museum relies on volunteers and interns, and Hurdle had become essential.

Then a spark of community generosity changed everything.

During a recent museum lecture and exhibit on the Great Boston Fire, Waltham native Tisha Shaughnessy Sullivan took interest in 19th-century firefighting equipment displayed in the program. Her father and uncles had all served in the Waltham Fire Department. Impressed by what she saw, Shaughnessy asked the museum what it needed most. The answer came immediately: support for Hurdle.

“Within weeks, she came back with a check,” Guerriero said. An uncle donated additional funds. Their gift — nearly $4,000 — ensures that Hurdle can continue his work for at least another year. The internship will be known as the Shaughnessy Family Internship, honoring the three Shaughnessy brothers: Tisha’s father Richard, who died in 2023, and her uncles John and Thomas, both still living. “There are no strings,” said Shaughnessy. “It’s so the museum can continue to do its wonderful work.”

Bringing history to life

For Hurdle, the scholarship makes an enormous difference. “It’s a journey to get from Worcester to Waltham,” he said. “When I heard she was going to fund the scholarship I was over the moon.”

Hurdle’s discoveries advance the museum’s mission to connect contemporary audiences with the region’s industrial legacy. He got emotional speaking about blueprints he has found. “On the back, you can see fingerprints left by the workers,” he said. “It’s like getting a peek behind the curtain of history.”

Among Hurdle’s favorite finds is a 1922 airfoil drawing created by Boeing’s first female engineer. When he shared this news with the Seattle-based aerospace behemoth, “they said they didn’t have much material about her and asked the museum to keep it safe” for posterity.

There are undoubtedly other treasures buried in the museum’s archives waiting for their stories about world-changing innovations to come to light. “From its founding, the museum’s vision has been regional and national in scope,” Guerriero said. Gifts like the Shaughnessy Family Internship help make that vision possible — one inspired student at a time.