HILLSBOROUGH'S HISTORIC PHOTO COLLECTION VOLUNTEERS WIN NATIONAL AWARD

by Ellen Harbour
(603) 464-2592
Hillsborough Histroical Society
Hillsborough, N.H.

The American Association for State and Local History announced recently that the Hillsborough Historical Society's historic Manahan-Phelps-McCulloch Photographic Collection archival volunteers are the recipients of one of its major awards. In its 62nd year, the AASLH's Leadership in History Awards program is regarded as the "nation's most prestigious competition for recognition of achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history."

On September 8th at the Association's Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Hillsborough Historical Society octogenarians Tom Talpey and Ennio Gerini, representing the archival team, will aceept the association's Albert B. Corey Award. This prestigious awad is named in honor of a founder and former presient of the ASSLH. It recognizes primarily volunteer-operated organizations that "best disply the qualities of vigor, scholarship, and imagination in their work." The Corey award is given by the Leadership in History Awards committee at its discretion. It is awarded only occasionally, just five times since 1996.

William Veillette, Executive Director of the N.H. Historical Society, has followed Archive Curator, Gilman Shattuck's leadership for the photo project since 2002. He said in his letter of support: "Awards are meant to encourage certain behavoir. In my estimation, the deliberation, prudence, diligence, and determination with which this all-volunteer society has approached this enormous project (over 84,000 glass plates and negatives archived and databased and 10,000 historic imatges digitized) is a model for its peers. Recognition of its efforts will give hope to other local historical societies that no proejct is too big or complicated to tackle given proper leadership and determination."