Julia Reinstein Career Achievement Award

Andrea R. Shaw, president under Region 8 of the former Association of Municipal Historians of New York State (AMHNYS), declared October 7, 1989, to be JULIA REINSTEIN DAY. Julia was the Town of Cheektowaga historian and was honored for her long and devoted service to historians all across New York State. Julia organized both Region 8 and the State Municipal Historians Association. She continued to promote history until her death in 1998. Her motto for our region was "Historians in Pursuit of Excellence - Building a Legacy."

Since that time, the historians of Western New York have continued the annual tradition of recognizing peers who have continued to build upon the legacy of Julia Reinstein. Recipients are honored with the Julia Reinstein Career Achievement Award at the GAHWNY annual meeting.
 

Nomination Criteria

1) Nominee must be a member of GAHWNY in good standing.

2) Nominee must be an officially appointed local government historian: city, county, town, and village historians; all duly appointed deputies/assistants of the same, and represetatives appointed by the Seneca, Tonawanda, and Tuscarora nations, within Western New York, comprising the counties within the Niagara, Southern Tier, and Finger Lakes regions of New York.

3) Historians cannot nominate themselves.

4) Nominators may only submit one nomination per year.

 

Past Recipients

1989 - Julia Reinstein, Town of Cheektowaga Historian

1990 - Lillian Geiger, Town of Concord, Village of Springville Historian

1991 - Andrea Shaw, Town of Amherst Historian

1992 - Nathalie Leonard, Town of Eden Historian

1993 - Lorna Spencer, Town of Freedom Historian

1994 - Jeff Mason, Town of Arcade Historian

1995 - Maureen Kingston, Town of Avon Historian

1996 - Scott Benz, Town of Elba Historian

1997 - Delia Robinson, Town of Gaines Historian

1998 - Lorraine Wayner, Town of Somerset/Village of Barker Historian

1999 - Don Ames, Village of Youngstown Historian

2000 - Lila Cooper, Town of Hinsdale Historian

2001 - Cheryl Delano, Town of Evans Historian

2002 - Dorothy Rolling, Niagara County Historian

2003 - Amie Alden, Livingston County Historian

2004 - Margaret Mayaret, Town of Concord, Village of Springville Historian

2005 - Naomi Baker, Town of Yorkshire, Village of Delevan Historian

2006 - Valerie Griffing, Town of Nunda Historian

2007 - Doris Bannister, Wyoming County Historian and
          John Percy, Town of Tonawanda Historian

2008 - Reorganization

2009 - Lois Brockway, Town of Pembroke Co-Historian

2010 - June Richards Burgett, Town of Carroll Historian and
           Elmer Heiman, Town of Darien Historian

2011 - Michelle Henry, Chautauqua County Historian

2012 - Lynne Belluscio, Village of LeRoy Historian

2013 - Sue Conklin, Genesee County Historian

2014 - Leo N. McCarthy (posthumously), Sardinia Town Historian
           and Laurence Haseley, Lockport Town Historian

2015 - Rondus Miller, Town of Hume Historian and David Palmer,
           Town of West Sparta Historian

2016 - Thomas Roffe (posthumously), Town and Village of Leicester
           and Pamela Brown, Town of Harmony and Village of Panama

2017 - Mary Jo Lanphear, Town of Brighton Historian

2018 - Preston Pierce, Ontario County Historian

2019 - Cindy Amrhein, Wyoming County Historian
            and Devon Taylor, Town of Chautauqua and Village of Mayville

2020 - Award hiatus due to coronavirus pandemic

2021 - Award hiatus due to coronavirus pandemic

2022 - Audrey M. Johnson, Town and Village of Pittsford Historian,
           and David Carlson, Town of Java Historian,
           and Peter Ames, Town of Niagara Historian

2023 - No award

2024 - Barbara Chapman, Town of Wheatland and Village of Scottsville Historian,
           and Holly Watson, County of Livingston Historian