The History Maker and History Preserver Awards

 

To further its goal of developing a deeper appreciation of Sullivan County history and of the many outstanding individuals whose lives have been associated with this county, the Society voted in 1994 to designate a History Maker and a History Preserver Award to be presented each year at its Annual Dinner.

 

 

 

History Maker

The History Maker Award is given to a person who has had a significant and positive influence on the life of Sullivan County or, more broadly, on the life of the nation or the world.

 

1994

Frederick Cook

Arctic explorer

 

1996

Judge Robert Williams

Supreme Court Justice

 

1997

John Raleigh Mott

Co-winner of the 1946 Nobel Peace Prize

 

1998

Lawrence H. Cooke

Chief Justice, NYS Court of Appeals

 

1999

Walter Rhulen

Entrepreneur and Community Leader

 

2000

Francis S. Currey

Awarded Medal of Honor, WW II

 

2001

Emma Cooke Chase

First woman schools superintendent in the county. In charge of sixty schools in the Third District for 25 years

 

2002

Jennie Grossinger

Guiding spirit of the "Big G" (Grossinger’s Hotel) who personified the resort industry in its successful days.

 

2003

Alice and Rusty Hodge

Mother and son who, respectively, took part in the 1936 and 1964 Olympic Games

 

2004

Max Yasgur

Opened his dairy farm to the 1969 Woodstock Festival and became a legend.

 

2005

Daniel Skinner

First man to build a raft and float (1765?)  timbers from the Upper Delaware to the bustling cities downstream.

                                                                                               .

 

2006

Andrew Neiderman

Novelist and Hollywood screen writer

 

2007

Alan Gerry

Entrepreneur and philanthropist. Creator of Bethel Woods Arts Center.

 

 

 

HISTORY PRESERVERS

The History Preserver Award is given to a person who has done significant work in preserving and interpreting Sullivan County history.

 

 

1994

Marjorie Durland Smith

For many years carried on a dedication to the Society similar to that of her mother and grandmother.

 

1996

Otto Hillig

His legacy of photographs and postcards provides a valuable history of Sullivan County in the first half of the twentieth century.

 

1997

James Burbank

Appointed Sullivan County Historian 1948. Created Fort Delaware and reinvigorated the Historical Society in the 1920's.

 

1998

William G. Smith

He was instrumental in securing the old Hurleyville School House for the current Museum and Cultural Center. In 1974 appointed County Historian.

 

1999

Sullivan County Democrat

Preserves the most complete record of county life since it was first published in 1891.

 

2000 

Delbert VanEtten

Village and Town Historian of Liberty; President of the SCHS; and primarily responsible for placing the Liberty Village District on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

2001

Mary Edith Curtis

An eighth generation resident of the County who traces her ancestry back to 1754. As historian and teacher, she has the gift of making that colonial world come alive.

 

2002

John Conway

The official County historian who is a teacher, writer, and journalist, and very generous in sharing his extensive knowledge of county life.

 

2003

Beatrice Schoch

Historian for the Town of Bethel and former President of the SCHS.

 

2004

The Archives Gang

Some ten members of the Society meet Wednesdays to work on the county's archives: the heart of the Society's mission.

 

2005

Wilmer Sipple

Guiding spirit behind the Roscoe 0 & W Railway Museum.

 

2006

James E. Quinlan

His "History of Sullivan County" published in 1873 is the single most complete and reliable record we have of the County's early years.

 

2007

Paul Gerry

President, SCHS. His legacy of photographs is invaluable in understanding the county in the post WW II years.

Maurice Gerry

Active in county political life and a knowledgeable historian of the hamlet of Ferndale.