Rotary Club Unveils Laura Grammer's Permanent ATHENA Exhibit at Dubois County Museum

The Rotary Club of Dubois County has placed a permanent display honoring Laura Grammer in the museum’s ATHENA exhibit, recognizing a local leader whose career and service have shaped community life. The exhibit, unveiled January 21, 2026, preserves Grammer’s 2025 ATHENA Leadership Award recognition alongside displays for past honorees and aims to spotlight women’s leadership across Dubois County.

Laura Grammer was named the 2025 ATHENA Leadership Award recipient on September 17 at the Rotary Club’s 13th annual ATHENA Leadership Awards Banquet. Her plaque in the museum features a line she selected: “You are Braver than you Believe, Stronger than you Seem and Smarter than you Think.” The permanent display documents Grammer’s roots in the county and a career centered on family business and community initiatives.

Grammer’s work at Ackerman Oil included modernizing operations and expanding food service concepts, moves that kept a long-standing local employer competitive while preserving family business ties. Beyond business, Grammer supported second-chance initiatives, revived Strassenfest features, coached youth sports, organized neighborhood events, served on the Vincennes University Foundation Board, taught religion classes, and led creative community fundraisers. Those activities form the spine of her ATHENA exhibit and offer concrete examples of civic leadership for students and community groups visiting the museum.

For local residents, the exhibit functions as both recognition and resource. The Dubois County Museum gains a fresh anchor to its ATHENA collection at a time when cultural tourism and heritage programming can help sustain small museums. The Rotary Club expects the permanent display to draw visitors who come to see hometown leadership celebrated, which may modestly increase foot traffic and support related spending at nearby shops and restaurants in Jasper and Huntingburg.

The Rotary Club of Dubois County is accepting nominations for the 2026 ATHENA Leadership Award through May 1, 2026, and plans to hold the 2026 banquet in September at the Huntingburg Event Center. Nominators and community organizations can use the museum exhibit as a template for the profile and impact the club looks for in future honorees.

By enshrining Laura Grammer’s contribution in a permanent exhibit, the Rotary Club underlines a local pattern of civic engagement that links business stewardship, volunteerism, and cultural tradition. For residents, the display is a reminder that leadership in Dubois County often grows from long-term, hands-on service, and that nominations for the next ATHENA award are open through May 1.