Prince George, B.C. -  The Board of Trustees of the Prince George Public Library has named the Prince George Council of Seniors, the Prince George Heritage Commission and Barbara Hall as the 2011 recipients of the Jeanne Clarke Award for outstanding contributions to the preservation of local history.

 

The publication award went to the Prince George Council of Seniors for “Life Before The Pulp Mills,” a book chronicling the experiences of the early pioneers who settled in the city before the pulp mills were built during the 1960s, transforming Prince George forever. June Chamberland, Bev Christensen and Luci Redmond served on the book’s editorial committee on behalf of the Seniors Council.

 

For the first time in the 26-year history of the Jeanne Clarke Award, two winners were honoured in the service category.

 

The Prince George Heritage Commission was formed in 2008 and has done important work since then, including the installation of signs throughout downtown at important historical landmarks. The commission also drafted the Heritage Context Study to help current and future planners and decision makers with heritage preservation efforts in Prince George.

 

The other winner in the service category was Barbara Hall. For the past 15 years, Hall has been active with the Education Heritage Committee with the Prince George Retired Teachers Association. She has been instrumental in the creation and maintenance of a growing archive of material chronicling the history of education in the Prince George area.

 

The awards were presented by Prince George Public Library board chair Philip Mantler to the winners this evening during a reception at the Bob Harkins branch of the library.