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Society names new Executive Director

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William Furry

The Illinois State Historical Society has named William Furry of Springfield as its new Executive Director. The 105-year-old independent not-for-profit organization hired Furry on December 4, after an extensive state and regional search.

According to Society President David W. Scott, more than seventy candidates applied for the job and five were interviewed, but Furry's "energy, demonstrated commitment j growth and advancement of the Society, and his initiatives and experience with our programs and publications made him a clear choice for the job."

Furry, who joined the Society's staff as Assistant Director in 2001, will continue to serve as editor of the Society's Illinois Heritage magazine and as a contributing editor of the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society. He succeeds Tom Teague, who resigned as executive director in July 2004 to pursue personal interests.

Teague passed away in September.

"The Illinois State Historical Society is dedicated to promoting Illinois history, both in the state and around the nation," says Furry. "Our programs are far-reaching and touch the lives of thousands of scholars, students, teachers, and professional and amateur historians every year. Our immediate goals are to build Society membership, to encourage corporate and foundation support of current and new initiatives, and to increase the Society's visibility around the state."

Prior to joining the staff at the Historical Society, Furry was editor of Illinois Times, the alternative newsweekly of Springfield. He has edited several other publications, including: The Preacher's Tale: The Civil War Journal of Reverend Francis Springer, Chaplain, U.S. Army of the Frontier (2001, Univ. of Arkansas Press), Tramping Across America: Travel Writings of Vachel Lindsay (1999, Rosehill Press); and a 4-volume pictorial history of Springfield.

Society to sponsor BSA merit badge at annual Lincoln Pilgrimage

The Illinois State Historical Society and the Boy Scouts of America are partnering to offer new opportunities to Illinois Scouts who participate in the 60th Annual Abraham Lincoln Pilgrimage.

As part of the Pilgrimage weekend (April 23-24) in Springfield, Scouts can satisfy several requirements for the American Heritage merit badge, for which the Society serves as a statewide advisor. The partnership is with the BSA's Abraham Lincoln Council, which hosts the annual Pilgrimage. Approximately 10,000 Scouts gather in Springfield every spring to walk the 22-mile trail from New Salem to Springfield, for which they earn a special merit badge.

For Scouts who've already completed the Lincoln Trail Hike, the Society will host three Illinois history workshops on Saturday, April 23, to help Scouts earn the American Heritage badge. Topics to be presented include Lincoln and the Black Hawk War, Mapping your Hometown Heritage, and Exploring Illinois through Historic Markers.

In addition the Society is cosponsoring the Council's Urban Heritage Trail, a passport-system trail through Springfield's several museums. Participating Scouts will be given a map and a passport, and spend part of the day learning about the state's resources for studying Illinois history.

For more information about the annual Lincoln Pilgrimage, or to sign up for the Illinois history workshops, call the Abraham Lincoln Council at 217-546-5570.

Last call for new Visions

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A limited number of the 2005 Visions Calendar, featuring photos of unusual and memorable scenes from Illinois' past, is still available. The calendar features hand-selected photos from the collections of county historical societies, museums, and private individuals, and celebrates significant dates in statehood. The calendars are $5 each postpaid, with 20 percent off orders of 10 or more. Send your equests to: Visions Calendar, Illinois State Historical Society, 210-1/2 South Sixth Street, Suite 200, Springfield, Illinois 62701.

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Touring exhibit touts Illinois antiquities

Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South, a new exhibit organized by the Art Institute of Chicago with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, opens a door wide to prairie state prehistory. Focusing on Native American cosmology, sacred geography, ritual and the cycle or seasons, aesthetics, and ceremonial artifacts, Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand has all of the grandeur and none of the gilt associated with other exhibits of early civilizations.

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Hawk effigy platform pipe from Naples, Illinois. A.D. 1-400, featured in the exhibit Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand: American Indian Art of the Ancient Midwest and South.

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Frog effigy pipe from Madison, County, near Collinsville. A.D. 1100-1200.

The installation takes up approximately 6,000 square feet of gallery space at the AI, and works to dispel popular myths about the various ancient societies that inhabited the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys. But Hero, Hawk, and Open Hand is more than a celebration of antiquities; it hopes to open a creative dialogue among academic scholars, museum curators, collectors, educators, and Native American cultural leaders.

The exhibit runs through January 30 at the Art Institute, and opens March 4 at the Saint Louis Art Museum. A handsome companion catalogue book for the exhibit, published by Yale University Press, is available also for $60 (cloth) and $34.95 (paper).

Annual meeting April 29-30

The Society's 105th annual meeting will be held April 29-10, 2005, in the north suburb

of Evanston, with tours of nearby communities Wilmette, Skokie, and Rogers Park planned. The annual AIMHS awards luncheon will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 30. Plan now to attend what promises to be a delightful weekend exploring Illinois' north-shore heritage. (For details about the weekend, see David Scott's article in this issue.)

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Historian Donald to receive lifetime achievement award

The museum component of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will officially open on April 19,2005, but the ribbon cutting will be preceded by three days of pomp and circumstance. Highlighting the festivities will be the presentation on April 18 of a new "Lincoln scholarship award," to be given to Dr. David Herbert Donald, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Lincoln, We are Lincoln Men, Lincoln's Herndon: A Biography, and Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War. The eighty-four-year-old Donald, professor emeritus of history at Harvard University, will receive a lifetime achievement award for his singular contribution to Lincoln scholarship.

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Girl Scouts place themselves on a map of Illinois during "Local Lore" day in Springfield.

Local Lore day

More than 50 Girl Scouts recently earned their "Local Lore" badges at a workshop sponsored by . the Illinois State Historical Society and hosted by the Land of Lincoln Girl Scouts Council in Springfield. On Saturday, December 11, 2004, ISHS Executive Director William Furry and Office Manager Mary Lou Johnsrud led the girls through the basics of hometown history, genealogy, and Illinois geography, using maps and family trees to explore the roots of what it means to be an Illinoisan. The program was a great success, said the Council's Membership/Program Specialist Erin Robinson.

Centennial Awards Banquet set

The Illinois State Historical Society's 2005 Centennial Awards Banquet, which honors businesses and organizations that have operated continuously in the state for 100 years or more, will be held on Friday, September 30, at the Palmer House in Chicago. More than 1,100 Illinois-based corporations have been inducted in the Society's Centennial fold since 1984, including the Chicago White Sox, the Ravinia Festival, Pullman Bank, the Jacksonville Journal Courier, and the Woman's Club of Carbondale. Century-old businesses interested in the award request an application by phone (217-525-2781) or mail (ISHS Centennial Awards, 210-1/2 South Sixth Street, Suite 200, Springfield, Illinois 62701). Applications are also available on-line at www.historyillinois.org.

Historical Markers Week in Illinois

The Illinois State Historical Society has designated the week of February 28 through March 6, 2005, as Historical Markers Week in Illinois. Planned celebrations include an information and discovery day at the Illinois Statehouse, rededication of several renovated markers, and the installation of at least two new markers. The Society has more than 400 markers in 60 of the state's 102 counties, and plans to build a dedicated website for students, teachers, and tourists to explore the state's early history. The Society's marker committee invites participation in the Historical Markers Week from all who care to share the state's "Wondrous Story." For more information, call 217-525-2781.

Call for papers

The Illinois State Historical Society's Illinois History Symposium Committee invites proposals for the 2005 Symposium.

The Symposium is open to papers, presentations, panels, and workshops on any aspect of the state's history, and proposals are welcome from professional historians, students, teachers, and amateur researchers.

Each proposal should include a summary of the topic and a one-page resume of the participant. The summary should include the primary and major secondary sources used in the research. The deadline for the proposals is April 1, 2005. Individuals will be notified of the Committee's decision in early June. Proposals should be sent to: Illinois History Symposium, Illinois State Historical Society, 210-1/2 South Sixth Street, Suite 200, Springfield, Illinois 62701, or via e-mail at ishs@eosinc.com

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