The Lombard Historical Society’s new exhibition, “Breaking the Mold: Lives Beyond Convention,” is on display until June 6, 2006.

This original exhibition highlights the lives of people who challenged expectations, pushed against boundaries and left their mark on history in powerful and lasting ways.

Through stories of courage, creativity and conviction, visitors will encounter individuals whose choices reshaped not only their own lives but also the communities and causes they touched.

The exhibition explores the lives of extraordinary individuals who refused to follow the limits of their time and whose choices continue to inspire us today.

Featured figures include Ada Sweet, the first woman appointed to manage a U.S. government pension office; Winifred Black, a fearless journalist who used undercover reporting to expose injustice; Albert Cashier, a Civil War soldier who lived authentically despite the challenges of his era; Ralph Chaplin, a poet and labor activist who gave voice to workers fighting for fairness; and Lombard’s own Colonel William R. Plum, remembered for his lilacs but whose legacy as a Civil War telegraph operator, writer and collector reveals a much larger story.

The exhibit is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays at the Lombard Historical Society, 23 W Maple St., Lombard. Admission is free, but donations are appreciated. For more information, visit LombardHistory.org