History is being made. All the time, actually. And sometimes, tenacious researchers commit the events and experiences of the past to paper, so that future generations can learn and appreciate how their local community was formed.
Ten authors are being honoured, this year, as nominees for their work to document key aspects of our region's story. These 10 were announced on Friday as the shortlist for the 2018 Jeanne Clarke History Award (Publishing).
There is also a second Jeanne Clarke History Award for Service, but there is no nominees' list for that trophy, just the disclosure of the winner each year at the public unveiling.
"It is a great opportunity to highlight local history and highlight the people who are doing this kind of writing," said Amy Dhanjal, communications coordinator for the Prince George Public Library, the agency behind the annual awards. "It is exciting and important to bring people together to celebrate those people who put so much work and thought into preserving our past."
Darcie Smith, the library's community outreach librarian, said the shortlist was always dependent on the given year's book options. Some years have only a few to consider. This year, it was a surge of material.
"We have a wealth of them this year, and we are a regional award but six of these titles are from Prince George so that says a lot about the level of community pride here," said Smith. "And when you see that this award dates back to 1985, that's an impressive amount of local history writing."
Within the list of this year's nominee is a familiar name: Trelle Morrow. He has won three past Jeanne Clarkes, as has the late Kent Sedgwick. Only one other author has multiple wins, that being Valerie Giles with two.
Giles is a perfect illustration of the dedication local historians have for telling the region's story, Smith said, when you realize that she first won in the 1980s, then won again in the 2000s.
"We need these writers," Smith said. "We know so much about the history of big cities, but the stories in our small towns and communities are just as interesting and just as meaningful. It's important that we celebrate that and keep encouraging more people to go to that extent of writing it down and forming it into a book."
The Jeanne Clarke History Awards are named for one of the founders of the library's Local History Committee. Clarke was on the library's board from 1978-84, including in the position of chair.
The awards were inaugurated in 1985, but were split into publishing and service streams in 1993. Occasionally ties have occurred in some categories. Books are eligible for consideration if they have been published within the past three years.
The presentation ceremony is always held in February during National Heritage Week. This year the event is Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. Tickets are free but preregistration is required (email [email protected] or call 250-563-9251 x156). Dress code is "to impress" as an extra tip of the hat to these dedicated writers laying the foundations of understanding our region for future generations.
And The 2018 Nominees Are:
- Ootsa Lake Odyssey: George and Else Seel (A Pioneer Life on the Headwaters of the Nechako Watershed) by Jay Sherwood (2016)
- Not My Fate: The Story of a Nisga'a Survivor by Janet Romain (2016)
- Mr. Seebach and the New Store by The Huble Homestead Historic Society (2015)
- Silent Passage: Life With Reaction Ferries by Trelle Morrow (2016)
- People of Prince George by Kathy Nadalin (2017)
- I Should Have Married a Cowboy by Robin Barbara (2017)
- Unbuilt Environments: Tracing Postwar Development in Northwest British Columbia by Jonathan Peyton (2017)
- Miller Bay Indian Hospital: Life and Work in a TB Sanitorium by Carol Harrison (2017)
- Sunshine and Rhubarb Wine: The Life and Legacy of Bea Dezell by Dianne Hildebrand (2017)
- Historical Memories: People, Places, Programs & Services by The Prince George Retired Teachers' Association (2010-2017)
