Oregon Heritage Excellence Award Winner Includes Coos Bay Man, April 4

Individuals, organizations, and projects that have made outstanding contributions to preserving Oregon heritage will receive Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards on April 12 in Bend. The public is invited to attend the presentation with pre-ticketing required. “The award recipients represent the extraordinary efforts to preserve Oregon’s heritage,” said Beth Dehn, coordinator for the Oregon Heritage Commission. “They also serve as models for others on how to develop new ideas, approaches, and innovations.” The recipients will be: –The Agate, Jefferson County Historical Society’s local history journal distributed through the Madras Pioneer Paper to keep “history alive” while the museum is closed. –John Goodenberger, for extraordinary dedication to preserving the physical and cultural heritage of Astoria through consultation, work with non-profits, and the creation of the Historic Preservation program at Clatsop Community College. –Museum at Warm Springs, for 25 years of extraordinary work preserving and promoting the cultural heritage of the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and serving as a model for cultural institutions seeking to preserve and honor indigenous cultures. –Oregon Women Veterans Sculpture ‘the Lionesses,’ a memorial project in Springfield that honors women veterans and educates the community on the role of Oregon women in military combat, while providing a place for veterans to gather and reflect. –“Parting Shots: Minor White’s Images of Portland, 1938-1942,” a public exhibition at the Architectural Heritage Center that paired Minor White’s photographs of Portland buildings later lost to demolition with architectural artifacts to encourage public understanding of architectural preservation. –Sharon Nesbit, for chronicling the history and events of greater East Multnomah County for over half a century, including advocating for the preservation of the Multnomah County Poor Farm, Edgefield. –Stories of Southern Oregon, a project that documented heritage agriculture in five communities in Southern Oregon and serves as a prototype for further documentation work. –Taylor’s Drug & Fountain Building, an example of excellence in restoring a building to its historical roots with original materials and extreme care. —Lionel Youst, for enriching the Coos Bay community as an active and vital historian, author, researcher and heritage advocate whose work spans heritage preservation efforts. Additionally, the Sally Donovan Award for Historic Cemetery Preservation is given for a project, organization, or person for outstanding contribution in the preservation of Oregon historic cemeteries. The award is named for Sally Donovan, who brought cemetery preservation to the forefront in Oregon. She developed historic cemetery planning and trained hundreds in the assessment, cleaning, and repair of monuments. The 2018 recipient is: –Valerie Vines Magee, for being instrumental in safety measures and the beautification of the Nehalem American Legion Cemetery. The Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards are a project of Oregon Heritage, part of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. This year’s awards are being presented in conjunction with the Oregon Heritage Conference. The awards banquet will be held from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the Sunriver Resort (17600 Center Dr, Sunriver) on the evening of Thursday, April 12. Special guests include Louie Pitt, Jr., Director of Governmental Affairs and Planning for the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs, who will share reflections on the heritage of Oregon “ewachanai”-the way it was yesterday, the way it is today, and the way it will be tomorrow. Tickets are available by using the online registration system that is available through www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/OHC/Pages/Conference.aspx.