Photo above, from left: Westminster Trustee Olivia Wilson ’19, Sen. Travis Fitzwater (MO-10), Peter Onder, U.S. Congressman Bob Onder, ANCM’s Timothy Riley, His Majesty’s Honorary Consul of the United Kingdom to Missouri Mark Sutherland and Westminster’s President Donald P. Lofe Jr. pause for a moment during a comprehensive tour of ANCM on Aug. 15.
U.S. Congressman Bob Onder and friends toured America’s National Churchill Museum (ANCM) on Aug. 15 in a spirit of reflection and optimism.
The visit followed recent testimony by Onder and Museum Director and Curator Timothy Riley before Congress to designate ANCM a National Historic Landmark.
During the tour, Onder explained his sincere appreciation of ANCM: the only museum in the United States dedicated to the life and times of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. The congressman is just one of many who continue to find inspiration in Churchill’s leadership and legacy.
Onder mentioned that he is so inspired by the statesman and ANCM that he has stopped by numerous times over the years, along with his wife and six children. Visits began in 2008 when the congressman traveled to Jefferson City as a representative for the State of Missouri.
Together, the Onders examined the many exhibits at ANCM, which touch on Churchill’s military background, eloquent way with words, oil paintings and interplay between other world leaders, from Adolf Hitler to Harry Truman to Joseph Stalin.
The Museum has consistently drawn interest from people around the globe for its architectural and historic significance. Uniquely housed in the undercroft of a 17th century Christopher Wren church, ANCM was partially destroyed in the Blitz of World War II. In the 1960s, St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury, believed to be William Shakespeare’s neighborhood church, was shipped stone by stone from London to the United States. After careful reconstruction and a formal dedication in 1969, the structure stands proudly on Westminster’s campus to forever memorialize Churchill’s word-famous address.
The recent visit to ANCM included Missouri Sen. Travis Fitzwater; Mark Sutherland, His Majesty’s Honorary Consul of the United Kingdom to Missouri; Onder’s son Peter; Westminster Trustee Olivia Wilson ’19; Timothy Riley of ANCM and Westminster’s President Donald P. Lofe Jr., bringing Onder’s congressional testimony full circle. He is now looking ahead with anticipation to ANCM’s much-anticipated 80th anniversary celebration of Churchill’s formally titled The Sinews of Peace address in March 2026.
“I would like to draw as much attention as we can to the cause of making America’s National Churchill Museum a National Historic Landmark. It clearly deserves that distinction, because there is so much history here, which is truly moving to see,” Onder sincerely reflected. “I can’t think of a better time to be doing that than on the anniversary of the ‘Iron Curtain’ speech.”
Sarah Rummel Backer is the Director of Media Relations and Senior Writer at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. A proud Westminster graduate, Sarah has more than 20 years of experience in marketing and strategic communications in the areas of higher education, medicine, agriculture, and the private business sector.
