Nominations Sought By Sonoma County Historical Records Commission

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — The Sonoma County Historical Records Commission seeks nominations for its 2024 Collections and Archives Recognition Awards, which recognize the accomplishments and contributions of local individuals, groups, agencies, collections and archives.

To qualify for the award, nominees must be located within the boundaries of Sonoma County and practice collecting and preserving historical records to promote history and cultural preservation.

Nominations for the 2024 awards are due by Jan. 8, 2025. The award ceremony is March 16 as part of the Sonoma County Historical Society’s annual luncheon.

Last year, the commission bestowed seven awards to a diverse group of people and organizations, which included:

• Tim Danesi, or preserving Rohnert Park's history by gathering, exhibiting, protecting and storing irreplaceable materials relevant to it.
• Irene Hilsendager, for working with Rohnert Park city facilities staff to move historical materials into a small private storage unit.
• Paula Freund and Amy Hogan, for their creation and work on the Petaluma Pioneers website.
• Steve Lehmann, recognized for his project honoring the deaths of WWII Airmen who died as a result of pilot and mechanical error while training at air bases in the Bay Area.
• Playback Memory Lab and the Sonoma County History & Genealogy Library, honored for the creation of a free, easy way to protect and preserve personal, family and community histories through a do-it-yourself space providing professional-grade tools to support personal preservation and archiving.
• Lesbian Archives of Sonoma County, awarded for their work recording oral history video interviews of lesbians who were activists in Sonoma County between 1965 and 1995.
• Glen Ellen Historical Society, recognized for creating a online historical database of documents and for tagging, organizing and cataloging all items in storage.

The Collections and Archives Recognition Award webpage has the nomination form and more details about the award criteria.

See more information about the luncheon and awards ceremony.