Genesee Community College

« Back to Recent News

GCC Solicits Nominations for Fifth Annual Orleans County Heritage Heroes Awards

Batavia, NY (12/08/2017) — Now in its fifth year, Genesee Community College and the Orleans Hub are proud to continue the Orleans County Heritage Heroes Awards which recognize the dedication and hard work of dedicated citizens who strive to protect and preserve local history. They are now seeking nominations for the awards. Nominations will be accepted through Monday, February 19, 2018.

"One of the most remarkable aspects of living in Orleans County is the many people who share a vested interest in our local heritage," said Jim Simon, associate dean of GCC's Orleans County Campus Centers in Medina and Albion. "Now in our fifth consecutive year, we recognize the time and investment of individuals who work tirelessly to preserve and protect our local history-be it oral or written histories, as well as the people, places, artifacts, buildings or landmarks in our homeland."

Nominees for Heritage Heroes Awards can be any age but posthumous nominations will not be accepted. History professionals and GCC employees are also not eligible for the award, nor are those who serve on the awards selection committees. Nominees must be Orleans County residents.

The six winners honored last year included: Jim Hancock, Ken McPherson, Richard and Shirley Nellist, Gretchen Sepik, and Alice Zacher received the special C.W. "Bill" Lattin Award for Excellence in Municipal History. Because nominations are not retained for future consideration, residents who made previous nominations are encouraged to re-submit a nominee again for this coming year.

"The Heritage Heroes Awards program recognizes the members of our community who are dedicated to preserving the local treasures that add to the quality of life and character of our community," Tom Rivers, Orleans Hub editor said. "These residents are from all over the county and they work hard on restoring historic houses and protecting numerous community assets such as museums, churches, monuments and numerous buildings that make up our unique landscape."

To nominate someone for the Heritage Heroes Awards, write up a brief statement outlining the person's contributions, projects and community affiliations. Anyone sending in a nomination should provide their name (anonymous nomination packages will not be accepted), address, phone number and email address. The more in-depth the detail provided in the nomination, the stronger the submission. Submit the nomination to:

ATTENTION: Heritage Heroes Committee

Genesee Community College / Medina Campus Center

11470 Maple Ridge Rd.Medina, NY 14103-9675

Nominations may also be emailed to Jim Simon at jsimon@genesee.edu. Please write Heritage Heroes Nomination in the subject line.

A screening committee made up of community members, history professionals and GCC students will review the nominations and select finalists. From those finalists, a committee including GCC Associate Dean Jim Simon, Associate Professor Derek Maxfield and Orleans Hub Editor Tom Rivers will choose the Heritage Heroes.

"The Heritage Heroes Awards is a point of pride in our community, and the ceremony is always a highlight of my year," Prof. Maxfield said. "Recognizing the unsung heroes who work hard to ensure local history survives into the next generations is vitally important to the cultural life of ourcommunity."

The Heritage Heroes will be recognized during a ceremony at Genesee Community College in Medina in April 2018.

# # #

Editor's Note:

For a photograph from the 2017 Orleans Heritage Heroes honorees go to:

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/Orleans County 2017 Heritage Heroes.jpg

Photo caption: The 2017 Orleans County residents honored for their efforts to preserve Orleans County history includes, left to right: Jim Hancock, Alice Zacher, Gretchen Sepik, Ken McPherson, and Shirley and Richard Nellist.

Media Attachments

The 2017 Orleans County residents honored for their efforts to preserve Orleans County history includes, left to right: Jim Hancock, Alice Zacher, Gretchen Sepik, Ken McPherson, and Shirley and Richard Nellist.

Copyright © 2024 Merit Pages, Inc. • All Rights Reserved. • Terms of Service • Privacy Policy • Opt Out