GCC Solicits Nominations for Sixth Annual Orleans County Heritage Heroes Awards

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BATAVIA, NY (01/04/2019) Now in its sixth 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 Friday, February 22, 2019.

"Residents of Orleans County take great pride in their heritage," said Jim Simon, associate dean of GCC's Orleans County Campus Centers in Medina and Albion. "For our sixth consecutive year, we want to continue to recognize the time and investment of individuals who are tireless advocates for local history."

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.

Last year's winners included Aaron Grabowski, Diane Palmer, Arthur Barnes and Roy Bubb. Lysbeth Hoffman received the special C.W. "Bill" Lattin Award for Excellence in Municipal History, and Marsha DeFillips received the Bob Waters Lifetime Achievement Award. 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.

"Many residents from all over the county work hard on restoring historic houses and protecting other community assets, including museums, churches and other historical artifacts," Tom Rivers, Orleans Hub editor said. "The dedicated people working to preserve these treasures deserve praise for adding to the quality of life and character of the community."

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 process involving community members and history professionals will review the nominations and recommend finalists. From those finalists, the executive committee including GCC Associate Dean Jim Simon, Associate Professor Derek Maxfield and Orleans Hub Editor Tom Rivers will choose the Heritage Heroes.

"We are very pleased to recognize those whose efforts often go unnoticed," said Associate Professor of History, Derek Maxfield. "They make many personal sacrifices in order to preserve history for future generations."

The Heritage Heroes will be recognized during a ceremony at Genesee Community College in Albion in April 2019.

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Editor's Note:

For photos from last year's Heritage Heroes ceremony, courtesy of Tom Rivers of the Orleans Hub, please click on the following links:

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/HeritageHeroes2018_1.jpg

The group includes, from left: Aaron Grabowski of Medina, Diane Palmer of Albion, Beryl Barnes (accepting for her son Arthur Barnes) and Roy Bubb, who has written about growing up in Clarendon.

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/HeritageHeroes2018_3.jpg

Betsy Hoffman, the Carlton town historian, received the C.W. "Bill" Lattin Award for Excellence in Municipal History.

http://marketing.genesee.edu/images/HeritageHeroes2018_2.jpg