The Centre County Historical Society will honor local historic preservation and advocacy projects at its 37th annual awards ceremony this month.
The John H. Ziegler Historic Preservation Awards will be presented during an approximately hourlong event at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18 at the Pennsylvania Match Factory, 100 Match Factory Place in Bellefonte, the home of the American Philatelic Society.
The recipients of this year’s awards:
PRESERVATION AND RESTORATION
Gary Brandeis will be honored “for the extensive restoration of the historic Nittany Lion Inn, a National Trust for Historic Preservation–recognized historic hotel, restoring the property to its longstanding role as a cherished tradition for the local community and Penn State alumni,” according to CCHS. Brandeis‘ Scholar Hotel Group acquired the Inn, along with the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center, in 2023, and spent more than a year renovating the nearly century-old property to modernize it while retaining its historic character.
HISTORY AND HERITAGE
James Collins and Vicki Fong will receive the History and Heritage award for directing the project “to preserve the University Club’s historical documents and artifacts that tell the story of the club’s unique cultural legacy in the broader community over the past century,” CCHS wrote. The University Club sold its 108-year-old property along West College Avenue to Penn State in 2022 after several years of financial struggles and the university demolished the building later that year, though the organization continued to operate with meetings at various locations.
EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY
Rick Rishel will be recognized “for the outstanding and long-term commitment to preservation activities in Centre County at the Centre County Library and Historical Museum, including countless hours spent cataloging, preparing exhibitions and scanning to make collections accessible to the public.”
SUPPORT AND VOLUNTEERISM
Gerald Hefferan and Zachary Chambers will receive this award “for significant contributions to historic preservation in Centre County through their gifts of time, talent and project leadership working with the Lions David House Heritage Museum in Snow Show, development of the Mountaintop Historical Day event and for promoting the rich history of the Mountaintop region of Centre County.”
CCHS PRESIDENT’S AWARD
Jacqueline R. Esposito will be honored “for exemplary service to the Centre County Historical Society as its Collections Management Chair. Her contribution through her ongoing work with interns and staff, and insights as a professional archivist have exponentially benefited the Historical Society’s archives by increasing their public accessibility.”
JACQUELINE J. MELANDER AWARD
Michael Hermann will receive the honor “for his years and countless hours devoted to appreciating Centre County’s natural landscape by making it more accessible through his Purple Lizard Maps.” An award-winning cartographer, Hermann founded Purple Lizard Maps in 1997, providing highly detailed and precisely designed guides to natural areas of central Pennsylvania and later expanding to multiple other states.
RSVP’s for the awards ceremony are encouraged. Registration is available online or by calling the Historical Society at (814) 234-4779.
Video of the ceremony also will be available at a later date at CentreHistory.org and on C-NET.
