“Museums are made by those who have an obsession, whether it is for particular things, or going about collecting things from particular people or finding those things that are right for the most people to look at,” Ramer said. “If I can maintain this institution, continue to work with some of the best people in the business and knowing the value in receiving their help and assistance, then possibly we can make the old be new again.
 
”Ramer also wants to know more about the man behind the gun museum, J.M. Davis himself. He wants to know more about the character and personality that drove a man to collect guns and other things in which he found value.
 
He is asking the public's help. He invites anyone who may have known Davis to visit or call. Ramer said he knows there are still a few people who met him when he was about 80 (1966) and may have had some interaction with him as the proprietor of the Mason Hotel, once on the northwest corner of Will Rogers Boulevard and Route 66.
 
Ramer said he knows his work with the Gilcrease collection and the museum operations gives him a different perspective than for past directors. it's a perspective he plans to put to good use.
 
“At the Gilcrease I worked for two different sets of people. Originally, I had come to the museum and worked as a graduate archeology student from the University of Tulsa,” Ramer said. "Then I took on each part of working in the museum that seemed like it took overnight, but came through the 25 years of employment.”
 
Ramer said the road to making it all work begins with listening and working with docents, art directors, exhibit directors, and others. In his past work, he traveled to South America to Europe, to domestic museums in search of artifacts and met with the people who held control of those goods.He is published author and contributing expert: "Forging a Nation: The American History Collection at Gilcrease Museum," "Perfectly American: The Art-Union and Its Artists," "Thomas Gilcrease," "Willard Stone" and "Charles Banks Wilson."
 
There's a quote by Thomas Gilcrease, benefactor of the Gilcrease Museum, “A man's got to leave some sort of track.” Ramer takes those words to heart. He understands the art of change, the techniques necessary for successful transition.
 
He was part of the staff when ownership of the Gilcrease Museum transferred to the city of Tulsa and was placed under stewardship of the University of Tulsa. He lived with those changes until his father called.
 
Ramer transitioned back into the family business in Enid, working with his father at Ramer Auto Parts, Car Sales and Salvage yard for the past 10 years.
 
People and history and the interest in preservation and sharing of those inherent stories continued to be part of his life's work. In Enid, he also worked for the Railroad Museum, and was the technology instructor at the James Crabtree Correction Facility at Helena, Oklahoma.
 
“Working at the correctional facility in Helena really transformed me. Here were guys that had reached a level in life that brought them to the point of being incarcerated in the state of Oklahoma,“ Ramer said, “What I brought them were simple ways to transform their lives and to have a working knowledge of how to plan, react, make good business decisions and to operate on their own. ... I learned as much or more from them and it really changed me.
 
”Working with his father also made a difference in his life.
 
“Watching and learning from my father, after I had become a father, was enough to expand my thoughts as a businessman,” Ramer said. "It was amazing the memory my father had. Everything was in ‘the’ place it was used from. Some of this seemed disjointed, but he knew everything, where it was, how he would handle it and what would happen.
 
”When his father died, Ramer saw the job opening in Claremore at the gun museum and decided to apply.
 
“In my first three days on the job, I can feel the invigoration from working with something new and can feel ways to bring J.M. Davis' collections to the forefront,” Ramer said.
 
Davis’ collections include 12,000 firearms, but also include graphic arts from the First World War, pottery and 19th Century artwork and a historical musical collection. He also collected artwork from the 20th century, as well as particular sculptures from the 1800s.
 
Ramer has two grown daughters. He is looking for a home in Claremore. He currently lives with a daughter in Tulsa.
 
He can be reached Tuesday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the museum or call 918-341-4707. The website is www.thegunmuseum.com.