News…

            CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Culture and History (WVDCH) will present five legislators with History Advocate awards during the annual “History Hero” awards ceremony. The awards ceremony coincides with History Day at the Capitol on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 and will begin at 9:30 a.m. in the Norman L. Fagan West Virginia State Theater at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston.

            Senator Mark Maynard, Wayne County; Senator Charles S. Trump IV, Morgan County; Delegate Allen V. Evans, Grant County; Delegate Rodney Pyles, Monongalia County; and Delegate Isaac Sponaugle, Pendleton County, will all receive the West Virginia History Advocate – Legislative Leadership Award.

            This award recognizes state legislators who support programs in their communities that encourage interest in West Virginia history. “The Legislative Leadership award allows the Division of Culture and History to acknowledge the important role our elected officials play in preserving and promoting West Virginia’s rich history,” said Randall Reid-Smith, WVDCH commissioner.

            The 22nd annual West Virginia History Day will feature dozens of state and local historical groups in the upper rotunda and foyers of the State Capitol, between the House and Senate chambers, in the morning and early afternoon. Exhibits of photographs, historical documents and artifacts, and publications will showcase the work of historians, genealogists, educators, preservationists, librarians and others from around the state to preserve and share the history of West Virginia. All activities are free and open to the public.

            For more information about West Virginia History Day, contact Joe Geiger, director of archives and history for the division, at (304) 558-0230.

            The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts with Gayle Manchin, cabinet secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

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