Dr. Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller, PhD: 2018 Pritzker Military Museum & Library Founder's Award Recipient

Recipients of the Founder’s Award are selected by the Museum and Library’s founder Colonel (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Retired) to receive this award for their immense contribution to furthering the public’s understanding of the citizen soldier and the military’s role in a democracy.

Dr. Gordon H. “Nick” Mueller, PhD, former historian and Vice Chancellor at the University of New Orleans, served as Founding President and CEO of the National WWII Museum. During a distinguished career at UNO, Mueller made his mark as a popular teacher, dean, and vice chancellor. He played a lead role in creating the Metropolitan College and in building new extensions and distance learning programs.

Mueller’s most daunting professional challenge arose in 1990 with his close friend and colleague, Stephen Ambrose. Ambrose, a renowned military historian, proposed that they collaborate in building a D-Day museum to preserve Ambrose’s 600-plus oral histories and create exhibits to tell the stories of the American troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

Neither Ambrose nor Mueller had the faintest notion that this initial concept would one day mushroom into a mega museum on six acres in downtown New Orleans.

Dr. Mueller’s role as President and CEO Emeritus affords him time to research and continue writing the history of the Museum and about other WWII topics. He continues to lead overseas WWII tours and speaks widely on the war experience, the American Spirit, and nonprofit leadership. He also provides advice and support to the Museum’s top executives, working closely with the distinguished Presidential Counselors advisory group, and assists in learning initiatives led by the new Institute for the Study of War and Democracy.

Mueller’s exceptional contributions to the preservation and interpretation of WWII history have resulted in numerous awards, including the French government’s Legion of Honor. Mueller has also been elected to the board of the National History Center in Washington, DC, the public advocacy subsidiary of the American Historical Association.