Rachel Godollei-Johnson holds the Unsung Hero plaque outside her home in Indianapolis.
We were saddened to learn of the passing of long-time NCA member Rachel Godollei-Johnson on January 1. Godollei-Johnson worked for many years at Landes Costume Company in Indianapolis, and she served on the NCA Board for a decade as historian. She also was co-editor of Costumer magazine for several years.
At the NCA 100th Birthday Party in 2023, she received the Unsung Hero award for her efforts. Here is the letter NCA President Pam Markel wrote to Godollei-Johnson, whose health did not permit her to attend the ceremony:
Dear Rachel,
For 10 years you served on the Board of Directors of the National Costumers Association as Historian and Parliamentarian. At the annual business meetings, I remember you sitting at the board of directors table, writing, and recording the important events as they happened. You took your job seriously, collecting and preserving our organization’s history. As the previous historians retired and passed down these precious documents, you began the task of organizing them, updating them and formatting them into files and notebooks. Magazines, documents, meeting minutes, letters, historical pictures, and endless pictures of conventions and area meetings, each needing a home.
Your task was undaunting and in my opinion overwhelming. Without your love for history and this organization, the archives of the National Costumers Association would never have been preserved.
It is for this effort, that I would like to present our association’s Unsung Hero Award 2023, in honor of all your hard work and dedication to the National Costumers Association.
Nominated and presented by NCA President Pamela Markel August 2023
Godollei-Johnson, 72, started her career at Indianapolis Civic Theatre. Later, at Landes Costumes, she designed and selected costumes for school and local theaters. In 1994, she and her husband Steve bought Landes Costume Company. She retired in 2013, but continued her artistic endeavors. Click here to read an article about her crochet and embroidery.