Ohio Historical Society Names Civil War Sesquicentennial Advisory Group
lstevens
Group
Members Represent Statewide Effort To Ensure Successful Commemoration
Effort
(COLUMBUS, OHIO)—In response to Gov. Ted Strickland’s directive to
commemorate the sesquicentennial of the Civil War in Ohio (2011-2015),
the Ohio Historical Society has appointed 15 Ohioans to the Civil War
150 Advisory Committee, announced Jim Strider, acting executive
director.
Made up of individuals from around the state, the committee will
provide guidance to the historical society on programs and activities
to ensure a successful commemoration effort at both the state and
local levels. Meeting will run quarterly, and members will serve
until the end 2015.
“These individuals represent men and women who have a deep interest in
Ohio history, particularly its Civil War heritage,” Strider said.
“Advisory committee members also will contribute their professional
expertise in history, education, state government, historical
organizations, media and tourism.”
The Civil War 150 Advisory Committee includes:
James Bissland is from Bowling Green in Wood County. He taught in the
journalism program at Bowling Green State University for 20 years and
serves today as an associate professor of journalism emeritus.
Bissland is the author of “Blood, Tears, & Glory: How Ohioans Won the
Civil War,” published in October 2007.
Tom Brinkman Jr., a former Ohio legislator (2001-2008) from
Cincinnati, has an educational background in history and experience
with former commemorative initiatives in Ohio. He lives in Cincinnati
in Hamilton County.
Andrew Cayton is a Distinguished Professor of History at Miami
University. He lives in Oxford in Butler County. He is the author of
“Ohio: The History of a People,” published in 2002. He has earned
many honors and distinctions for both his scholarship and his
teaching, including a Fulbright position in American Studies at Leiden
University in the Netherlands.
Bob Davis serves as commander of the Department of Ohio, Sons of the
Union Veterans of the Civil War. This patriotic and educational
organization seeks to preserve the memory of the Grand Army of the
Republic and to care for GAR memorials and identify the location of
union veterans’ gravesites. Davis lives in Canal Winchester in
Fairfield County.
Gainor Davis is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Western
Reserve Historical Society of the Western Reserve Historical Society,
an organization whose collections include an extensive and unique
Civil War-era collection. She has more than 27 years of experience,
including leadership roles in history organizations in Pennsylvania,
Vermont and Louisiana. She resides in Cleveland Heights in Cuyahoga
County.
Paul LaRue is a social studies teacher at Washington High School and
lives in Washington Court House in Fayette County. He has been honored
for his innovative methods of teaching Civil War history by the
American Legion (2003 Educator of the Year) and the Civil War
Preservation Trust, among others.
Roger Micker, from Wheeling (West Virginia), is a social studies
teacher at Steubenville High School in Steubenville, Jefferson County.
He is president of the Ohio Valley Civil War Roundtable, a re-enactor,
a member of the Ohio Historical Society Teacher Advisory Committee,
and a Teaching American History program participant.
Bob Minton is Colonel of the Army of the Ohio Reenacting Battalion and
involved in Friends and Descendants of Johnson’s Island. He has also
raised funds to conserve two Ohio Civil War battle flags. Minton lives
in Fostoria in Hancock County.
Don Murphy, from Cincinnati in Hamilton County, serves as chief
executive officer of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
in Cincinnati. He is the former deputy director of the National Park
Service and before that served for seven years as the director of
California State Parks.
Rep. Mark Okey represents House District 61, which includes Carroll
County and parts of Mahoning, Stark and Tuscarawas counties. The
McCook House, an Ohio Historical Society site, is within his district.
His interest in Civil War history is evidenced by his personal
collection and research. He resides in Carrollton in Carroll County.
Dave Roth is the co-founder and publisher of Blue & Gray Magazine,
which focuses on Civil War battlefields and provides in-depth
information on Civil War sites for its readers. The magazine has
surpassed 25 years of operation and 150 issues. Roth lives in Columbus
in Franklin County.
John Switzer is a journalist with the Columbus Dispatch, who lives in
Columbus in Franklin County. Previously a weather columnist, today he
writes a Sunday Metro column, often revealing his interest in
historical topics.
Diana Thompson is the executive director of the Miami County Visitors
& Convention Bureau. She has 26 years of experience in the hospitality
field and is active in the Ohio Travel Association, including teaching
for the Ohio Tourism Leadership Academy. Thompson lives in Piqua in
Miami County.
Catherine Wilson is the executive director of the Greene County
Historical Society. She has experience in archives, genealogy, history
scholarship and Civil War re-enacting. She has authored a number of
articles on topics of relevance to Civil War history as well. She
resides in Xenia in Greene County.
Eric Wittenberg, from Columbus in Franklin County, is an attorney who
has authored more than 10 books about the Civil War and also writes a
blog, Rantings of a Civil War Historian. He is a member of the
Central Ohio Civil War Roundtable and Vice President of the Buffington
Island Battlefield Preservation Foundation.
About the Civil War 150
Ohio’s leadership before, during and after the Civil War had a
profound influence on American history. Decades later, Gov. Ted
Strickland wants to make sure that all Ohioans remember the past of
their great state and the sacrifices that were made to preserve the
Union. He chose the Ohio Historical Society to lead the effort because
the state history organization is “uniquely positioned” to direct the
initiative.
“It is important not only to commemorate the historic significance of
the Civil War, but to also celebrate the role that Ohio and Ohioans
played in achieving the monumental victory,” Gov. Strickland said in
his directive to historical society last April. “The Ohio Historical
Society is uniquely positioned with the expertise and physical
resources to lead the state in commemorating the Civil War in Ohio.”
Civil War 150 Efforts Underway
In addition to establishing the Civil War 150 Advisory Committee, the
historical society has organized a statewide network of organizations
and historic sites so that the Civil War tribute can be organized
seamlessly. One goal is to raise awareness of the upcoming
sesquicentennial and encourage Ohioans to visit the many Civil War
sites across the state.
“Ohio’s link to the Civil War is a very significant one,” Strider
said. “Ohioans had a deep and lasting influence on the war, and the
war spurred an age of great prosperity and political power for the
state.”
To help raise awareness about Ohio’s pivotal role in Civil War
history, the Ohio Historical Society and Cleveland State University’s
Center for Public History and Digital Humanities recently launched
www.ohiocivilwar150.org to commemorate the upcoming 150th anniversary
of the war in 2011 to 2015. The Web site is a collection of
information as well as a dynamic tool for the public, educators and
local history groups to collaborate and share their knowledge of
Ohio’s fascinating Civil War history.
The Ohio Historical Society is a nonprofit organization that serves as
the state’s partner in preserving and interpreting Ohio’s history,
natural history, archaeology and historic architecture. For more
information about programs and events, visit www.ohiohistory.org.