2017 Historic Cemetery Award Nominations Announced, Jan. 16

Nominations for the 2017 Sally Donovan Award for Historic Cemetery Preservation, part of the Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards Program, are now being accepted. This new category in the Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards recognizes an individual, business, or organization for outstanding efforts on behalf of Oregon historic cemeteries, drawing public attention to these efforts, and raising the quality of historic cemetery activities. Nominations are encouraged for all efforts that lead to the preservation of a historic cemetery or contribute to the preservation of historic cemeteries statewide. Examples may include the establishment of a preservation program, the reclaiming and care of an abandoned cemetery, training others in monument repair, documentation, public education, tools that enhance cemetery preservation, etc. “The new award is named for Sally Donovan, who developed historic cemetery planning and provided training in monument documentation and repair,” said Kuri Gill, Oregon Historic Cemeteries program coordinator. “She brought cemetery preservation to the forefront in this state and personally influenced monument repair in dozens of cemeteries.” Announcement of awardees will be made in early April 2017. Awards will be presented on April 26 at the Oregon Heritage Summit in Newberg by Oregon Heritage, part of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Tickets for the awards presentation will be made available this coming spring. Applications can be found online at www.oregonheritage.org or by contacting Kuri Gill at Kuri.Gill@oregon.gov or (503) 986-0685. The postmark deadline for submitting nominations is February10, 2017.