Dan Shilling, Director of the Arizona-based Community
Heritage Group, walked along the beautiful tree-lined
street in front of Granville’s Robbins Hunter Museum.
It was the last day in a series of statewide workshops
exploring civic tourism. Dan’s message had been
straightforward, “Tourism can be much more than a
market-driven growth industry. It should be one of the
tools that communities use to provide a better quality of
life for residents.”
“Ohio has good bones,” he said.
While Ohioans have always known that our culture and
history are fl eshed out on a strong foundation of “good
bones,” it was nice to hear it said by civic tourism’s most
passionate advocate.
|
In July, the Council conducted four civic tourism
workshops for the heritage community around the state.
Using Fremont, Akron, Dayton, and Granville as regional
meeting sites, the workshops drew a diverse group of
practitioners to discuss how the concepts of civic tourism
could be applied to their communities. “Ohio has
beautiful landscape, historic downtowns, and distinctive
cultures. I think you are well positioned to weather the
current economic doldrums by designing a ‘place-based’
economy that, ultimately, is more sustainable, prosperous
and equitable,” Dan commented at the end of the series.
“It takes vision; it demands a long-term strategy; it means
investing in the things that make your place special…but
Ohio definitely has the natural and cultural resources to
take advantage of the changing economy.”
“In order for this to work, you need people who take
pride in their communities and really care. And I met
them in every town we visited.”
A recent study by Destination Analysts, Inc. reports that
travelers are deeply concerned with high gas prices and
stretching their leisure dollars. So now is a great time for
Ohio’s heritage destinations to step up and off er travelers
unique experiences close to home. The Ohio Humanities
Council plans to continue its support to the state’s robust
historical and cultural sectors with more workshops on
civic tourism and grant support to help organizations build
their capacity to welcome visitors from near and far. |
|
|
This year’s Buckeye Council for History Education (BCHE) Conference was held on July 24-25 at the Ohio Historical Center in Columbus. More than sixty educators attended the inaugural Teacher Resource Fair to learn more about Ohio Historical Society resources and programs as well as resources from a diverse range of institutions including the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, History Teaching Institute at The Ohio State University, Ohio Center for Law Related Education, Black Historic Impressions, The Kelton House Museum and Gardens, The Columbus Landmarks Foundation and others. In the evening, Beth Boland from the National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places program delivered the keynote address at the BCHE Conference opening dinner.
On July 25, forty-nine educators attended the BCHE Annual Conference, The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies. Sessions revolved around the topic of the Civil War, with presentations on the Role of the Individual in the Civil War, Ohio and the Underground Railroad, Civil War Records and Research, Teaching with Historic Places, and two sessions on classroom applications led by social studies educators. Conference evaluations were extremely positive, with participants remarking “the speakers who were selected were very knowledgeable and provided useful information,” and “one of the best conferences I have attended.”
The conference keynote speaker was Dr. James Bissland, author of Blood, Tears and Glory: How Ohioans Won the Civil War, who participants described as “spellbinding” and “[he] made learning history fun.” The closing ceremonies featured a presentation by historic interpreter Anthony Gibbs on the United States Colored Troops.
|
The Ohio affliate of the National Council for History Education, the Buckeye Council for History Education supports quality history education and encourages communication between those who teach history in schools and those who promote history in communities. BCHE provides a network through which all history education advocates can communicate and collaborate.
With funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities’ We The People initiative, OHC helped sponsor BCHE’s annual conference. Please visit www. gatewaytohistory.org to learn more about the Buckeye Council for History Education and other resources that are available to Ohio’s history teachers. |
|
|
 |
|
|
 A Call for Nominations:
BJORNSON AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED
SERVICE IN THE HUMANITIES
The Ohio Humanities Council understands the need to honor Ohio’s humanities scholars
and to acknowledge the contributions they make to our state and our culture. To satisfy
this need, the OHC annually presents the Bjornson Award for Distinguished Service in the Humanities.
The Bjornson Award is given each year to an Ohio resident or native who has made outstanding career
contributions to the public knowledge and appreciation of the humanities. Nominees for the award may be scholars or authors whose work has held sustained public interest or persons who have distinguished themselves statewide by long-term service in schools, museums, literary and historical societies, or other public activities.
The award is named in memory of late Ohio Humanities Council member Richard Bjornson, a professor of French and Comparative Studies at The Ohio State University, who passed away while serving on Council. Bjornson was proud of supporting collaborative projects that helped connect the separate worlds of academia and the general public. The Bjornson Award is conferred each year at the Council’s December board meeting; the prize consists of an engraved plaque and an award of $1,000.
Ohio native and author Toni Morrison was the first recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. Subsequent Bjornson Award winners have been scholar Marilyn Waldman, children’s author Virginia Hamilton, historian George Knepper, activist Rachel Redinger, poet Herbert Woodward Martin, professor Roger Ray, Holocaust expert Saul Friedman, scholar Dorothy Wartenberg, poet David Citino, historian Charles Cole, archaeologist Philip Shriver, Ohio Historical Society director Gary Ness, professor Donald Lateiner, writer Audrey Lavin, historian Carl Becker, OSU Humanities Institute director Christian Zacher, and museum executive John Fleming.
Nominations for the 2008 Bjornson Award must reach the OHC office on or before October 1. Briefly cite
examples of your nominee’s major accomplishments and include his/her current resume. Mail nominations to: Ohio Humanities Council, 471 East Broad Street. Suite 1620, Columbus, OH 43215-3857. E-mail nominations to:
ohc@ohiohumanities.org. |
|
|
|
|
16
|
|
 |
