Election of New Board Members announced at Society Annual Meeting; awards presented
A teacher from Unadilla, a former nurse from Grand Island and a designer from Lincoln are among new members elected to the Nebraska State Historical Society Board of Trustees. Election resulted were announced at the Society's annual meeting in Omaha September 12. New board members include:
Beverly A. Wilhelm, Unadilla; A teacher in the Syracuse Public School system, Wilhelm has been involved in the Nebraska Writing and Rural Voices/Country Schools projects.
Annabelle Brodbeck Marsh, Grand Island, has lived in the Platte River valley her entire life, including North Platte, Omaha, and Scottsbluff prior to Grand Island. She has been active in health- and history-related organizations.
Jason K. Kress, Lincoln; A fourth-generation Nebraskan who grew up near Sterling, Kress has worked in the fields of architecture, computer consulting, and website design and development.
Charles E. Trimble, Omaha; is an Oglala Sioux who was formerly executive director of the National Congress of American Indians and currently serves on the Library of Congress American Folklife Center board. Trimble was a gubernatorial appointment to the Society board in the 1990s.
Board members re-elected to a second three-year term were Patrick M. Kennedy, an award-winning educator from Omaha; and Jack Preston, Lyman, president of the Farm and Ranch Museum in Gering.
The Nebraska State Historical Society is governed by a board of 15 members, twelve of whom are elected by the membership of the Society and three of whom are appointed by the Governor.
At its annual meeting the Society also recognized individuals and organizations for outstanding contributions to the preservation of Nebraska's history, including:
The Gage County Historical Society, which earned the Addison E. Sheldon Memorial Award. The society was cited for "epitomizing a first-rate county historical society program with its defined mission statement, paid staff, quality publications, active volunteer program, research facilities open to the public, special and permanent exhibits and regular public programming." The award also recognizes the efforts of former Director Kent Wilson, who retired after fifteen years with the organization.
Dr. Timothy Mahoney, a professor in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of History received the James L. Sellers Award for the best article published in a volume of Nebraska History. Mahoney's "The Great Sheedy Murder Trial and the Booster Ethos of the Gilded Age in Lincoln, Nebraska," an analysis of a sensational case that riveted Lincoln in the 1890s, appeared in the Winter 2001 issue of the magazine. A cash prize provided by the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation accompanied the award.
Robert C. Pettit, Lincoln, was given the Robert W. Furnas Memorial Award in recognition of 36 years of service as curator of the Society's museum collections. Pettit donated more than 200 artifacts to the museum, cataloged tens of thousands of objects, and oversaw computerization of collections records.
The Nebraska Department of Roads was honored with the Asa T. Hill Memorial Award in honor of its support of Nebraska archeology. In its half-century of partnership with the State Historical Society, Roads has assisted in the location and excavation of an 1880s Lincoln pottery factory; Civil War-era homesteads; Native American flint workshops; Pawnee Indian buffalo hunting camps; an Omaha Indian village and portions of historic downtown Brownville.
The Dutton-Lainson Company of Hastings was selected for the Nebraska Preservation Award in recognition of its rehabilitation of the 1902 Hastings Burlington Depot. The company worked cooperatively with the City of Hastings and the Nebraska Department of Roads and created preservation easements to ensure the exterior of the depot will continue to reflect its historic character. The building interior was renovated to house not only Amtrak passenger service, but The Showcase for Dutton-Lainson Company products.
The Society also presented a special certificate of commendation to Sharon Burcham of Lincoln for her efforts to preserve the 100-year history of Cushman Motors. Burcham spearheaded the donation to the Society of a wide variety of materials documenting Cushman's growth and products.