Use the smaller-sized text Use the larger-sized text Use the very large text Take a peek! Discover new connections to history. Visit the New Preview Website.

Highlights Archives

2008 Award Winners!


Gordon Gunderson, State Supervisor, Office of Distribution, War Food Administration, watches as Corp. David Moul, Lodi, pins a citation on the lapel of Gordon Packard, employee representative of the Arlington plant of the California Packing Corporation. The award was given for outstanding achievement in war food production.
WHI 38720

Each summer the Society recognizes outstanding historical work done in the previous calendar year. Between January and April local historical societies, authors, Society members, publishers and private citizens submit nomination forms. Panels of independent judges or Society experts investigate these nominations, and the Board of Curators officially designates each award at its June meeting. Ceremonies are sometimes held at which recipients are honored for their achievements in their own communities.

This year's winners are:

  • Book Award of Merit — The Best Specimen of a Tyrant: The Ambitious Dr. Abraham Van Norstrand and the Wisconsin Insane Hospital by Thomas Doherty, which Madison's Isthmus called "the story of a driven and unlucky man."
  • Genealogy-Family History Book Award of Merit — Descendants of Joseph and Catherine Miller of New Berlin, Wisconsin by Rick Hagen of Owings, Maryland, a thoroughly researched and meticulously documented account of mid-19th-century immigrants from Germany to Waukesha County.
  • Governor's Archives Award for Archival Achievement — the Marshfield Public Library for creating genealogy and local history indexes and supporting public programming related to historical records.
  • Governor's Award for Archival Advocacy — co-winners Kay Demrow of the Luther Valley Historical Society and the late Judith Simonsen of the Wauwatosa Historical Society.
  • Historic Preservation Award — Gary J. Gorman of Gorman and Co., Oregon, Wisconsin, for preservation of the the historic Oregon High School.
  • Historic Restoration Award — the Mabel Tainter Literary, Library and Educational Society, Inc. of Menomonie, Wisconsin, for successfully making its building handicapped accessible as well as functional for contemporary programming in a way that was sensitive to the original design of the building.
  • Reuben Gold Thwaites Trophy for Local History — not conferred this year.
  • Museum Exhibit Awards — the Douglas County Historical Society for the exhibit, Superior: The Making of a Labor Town, and the Montello Historic Preservation Society for Unearthed: Evidence of the First People of Marquette County.
  • Public Program Award — the Whitewater Historical Society for its Oak Grove Cemetery Tour, which was praised for its depth of historical research and content, significant connections to Wisconsin history, and community involvement.
  • Wisconsin History Website Award — not conferred this year.

Read in more detail about the Wisconsin Historical Society's 2008 history award recipients.

:: Posted August 21, 2008
  • Questions about this page? Email us
  • Email this page to a friend
select text size Use the smaller-sized textUse the larger-sized textUse the very large text