FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marc Mappen
November 10, 2008
Phone: 609-984-0902

Trenton – The New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State, will present its 2008 awards at its annual conference on Saturday, November 22, 2008 at the Trenton Marriott Hotel.

The New Jersey Historical Commission’s highest honor, the Richard J. Hughes Award, is given to an individual or institution for lifetime achievement in the field of New Jersey history. The 2008 recipient is the South Jersey Cultural Alliance, which will be honored for its many years of work on behalf of the history and arts community of the southern counties of the state.

Established in 1991, the South Jersey Cultural Alliance was formed to “encourage the active participation of residents and visitors in the cultural life of southern New Jersey by strengthening the region's nonprofit cultural organizations through collaborative efforts in audience development, programming, advocacy and management.” With a membership of 124 cultural institutions, the SJCA is being recognized by the Historical Commission for its commitment to increasing the visibility of the region’s arts, history and cultural institutions.

The Alfred E. Driscoll Prize of $1,000 is awarded every other year to the author of an outstanding doctoral dissertation on a topic in New Jersey history. The 2008 recipient is Daniel Sidorick for his Temple University dissertation, 'Global' Production in a Rust-Belt City: Labor and Management at Campbell Soup Company in the Twentieth Century. Sidorick’s work will be published by Cornell University Press in 2009.

In addition to the Hughes Award and the Driscoll Prize, the following individuals and organizations will receive Awards of Recognition from the Historical Commission:

Fort Lee Film Commission. Established by public ordinance in Ft. Lee in 2000, the Film Commission commemorates New Jersey’s role as the birthplace of the American film industry. The Commission’s commemorative work includes the establishment of a website (www.fortleefilm.org), the restoration of films produced by Fort Lee studios, and the sponsorship of retrospectives on films and filmmakers from New Jersey. It also organized and operates the annual Jersey Filmmakers of Tomorrow High School Student Film Festival open to all high school students living in Bergen County. In addition it runs an annual February Film Symposium and the Woman in Film Festival in March.

Raymond Frey, Hackettstown. Mr. Frey, an associate professor of history at Centenary College, will be recognized for his work to make New Jersey history more accessible to students. He developed a New Jersey history course at Centenary to educate prospective elementary and secondary school teachers and wrote a textbook New Jersey, A Journey of Discovery.  He has researched the history of New Jersey education and appeared in a New Jersey Network documentary on the history of public education in New Jersey, Teaching Over Time. A story idea about Thomas Edison's experiments with concrete houses appeared in the PBS series, History Detectives, with Mr. Frey appearing on camera. Frey, a frequent writer on NJ topics, currently teaches an online New Jersey history class at Centenary that now has a waiting list to get in. He is also developing a new 4th grade New Jersey textbook.

Kate Gordon, of Middletown, is honored for her work with local and county historical societies. Ms. Gordon has worked with a number of New Jersey history organizations, among them Historic Cold Spring Village, Sussex County Historical Society, Union Township Historical Society, Canal Society of New Jersey, Sussex County Arts and Heritage Council, and the Burlington City Historic Preservation Commission. She has assisted these organizations with exhibition research and design, collections management, strategic planning, project management, and guidance on the legal foundations and responsibilities of non-profit historical management. Throughout her career she has shown an impressive ability to produce quality programs and exhibits for her clients on very small budgets.

New Jersey Office of Historic Sites, Division of Parks & Forestry, Department of Environmental Protection  The New Jersey Office of Historic Sites takes a leadership role in promoting NJ’s history through its sponsorship of the Spirit of the Jerseys State History Fair. This Fair is an annual event involving local historical societies, museums, heritage organizations and numerous living history performers, that promotes the history and heritage of the Garden State through exhibits, music, family activities, games, historical performances and living history demonstrations. The Department of Environmental Protection's Office of Historic Sites launched the Spirit of the Jerseys State History Fair in 2004 to celebrate the centennial of NJ’s State historic sites. Since then, the Fair has continued to cultivate the public's awareness and appreciation of New Jersey's historic resources by providing visitors with the opportunity to experience history in a fun and engaging manner. Within four years, attendance has grown from 1,500 attendees to over 6,000.

Raritan-Millstone Heritage Alliance, Somerset. A group of Middlesex, Somerset and Mercer County historic sites along the Raritan and Millstone rivers, this organization develops educational and interpretive activities and materials to promote its member sites. The Historical Commission is recognizing the Alliance’s work publishing a free Guide to Historic Sites in Central New Jersey. The latest edition includes information on 80 sites of historical, cultural and environmental importance. The Alliance plans to distribute more than 50,000 copies this year. The Alliance also offers Sunday tours of sites, publishes a newsletter; and maintains an informative website.

Brian M. Hughes, Mercer County Executive. As a Mercer County Freeholder and subsequently as Mercer County Executive, Hughes has become one of New Jersey’s most staunch advocates for historic preservation.  During his two terms as a freeholder, Hughes fought to preserve New Jersey’s historic farms, factories, bridges, battlefields and houses. As County Executive, Hughes has led efforts not only to keep existing historic resources and education centers operational, but has also preserved a number of new historic sites using County funds.

The New Jersey Historical Commission is a division of the Department of State. Its mission is to preserve, promote and disseminate the history of the state through grants, publications, media projects and public programs. For information on the New Jersey Historical Commission's grant program, contact Sara Cureton, Director, Grants Program, New Jersey Historical Commission, PO Box 305, Trenton, NJ 08625; (609) 943-3306; fax (609) 633-8168; email sara.cureton@sos.state.nj.us