Preservation Achievement Award honorees are recognized for their contributions while working in conjunction with the Historic Preservation Division (HPD) and its programs.  These individuals and organizations were nominated by division staff members and are recognized as having helped further HPD's mission, vision and goals, and thereby made a significant contribution to historic preservation in Georgia.

press release
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From left to right: HPD Division Director Ray Luce and award recipients Melina Vasquez, Lillian Davis, Dennis Blanton, Erica Danylchak, Richard Laub, Emily Eigel, Hilary Morrish, and Catherine Edgemon.

Dennis Blanton, Curator of Native American Archaeology at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History, Atlanta
With coordination from the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (HPD), Dennis was integral in bringing one of Georgia's few existing Native American dugout canoes to Fernbank Museum to be conserved and displayed as part of an exhibit intended to educate visitors about our states past.  Additionally, Dennis has carried out three years of archaeological investigations in Telfair County that are helping to rewrite early Spanish history in Georgia.  These excavations have been partially funded by HPD and have provided an excellent hands-on learning opportunity for students and volunteers with an interest in archaeology.  Just as importantly, Dennis has used these excavations as a platform to help foster a greater preservation ethic within local communities by educating and working with citizens and community leaders in the area.  According to State Archaeologist Dave Crass, his efforts have helped to not only increase scholarly knowledge of the past but have also significantly raised awareness of Georgia's cultural resources.

Catherine Edgemon, Main Street and Economic Development Director for the City of LaFayette
Catherine has played a significant role in the rehabilitation of the Chattooga Academy, a LaFayette community landmark, built in 1836.  As Downtown Development Director she successfully wrote and applied for two Georgia Heritage grants, as well as a Georgia Department of Community Affairs Local Development Fund grant to help fund this project.  Other funding came from civic donations and local sales taxes.  Catherine also has been the construction manager for the complicated, multi-year rehabilitation of the Academy that began in the fall of 2005, ended in early 2009, and was recognized with a community-wide celebration on May 2.  The building will be the new home of the Main Street and tourism offices.  This project exemplifies the recommended rehabilitation process promoted by HPD, which is to begin with a good preservation plan and/or condition assessment report before proceeding to bricks and mortar work.  It has also been a component of continued community preservation efforts and awareness, which have included preservation of the Marsh-Warthen House, designation as a Main Street community, and involvement in developing the Chickamauga Heritage Trail, the latter two of which she has been a primary participant.  Overall, in her time as LaFayettes Downtown Development Director, Catherine has worked tirelessly to promote historic preservation, downtown revitalization, and heritage tourism within the city. 

W. James Green and Lillian Davis of Hubbard Alumni Association, Inc., Forsyth
The Hubbard Alumni Association, Inc. (HAA) has held a long association with historic resources associated with the former State Teachers and Agricultural College for Negroes, founded by William M. Hubbard.  On May 30, 2003 the women's dormitory and teachers cottage on the campus were listed on the National Register of Historic Places using nomination materials prepared by HAA.  HAA received two Georgia Heritage Grants for the preservation of the women's dormitory.  The first grant was for development of a preservation plan for the building and the second grant provided funds for a new roof.  HAA conducted fundraising among its membership to restore the 50 windows in the dormitory.  The interior rehabilitation is underway, and HAA raised $60,000 at their golf tournament to aid in the project.  They are partnering with the Central Georgia Technical College and the Monroe County School Board to adapt the building for future use as a technical training center for Forsyth residents and are working with the Forsyth Preservation Commission to extend the city boundaries to include this historic resource in the downtown historic district.  According to Jeanne Cyriaque, HPDs African American programs coordinator, These initiatives are directly related to HPDs mission to preserve historic places and develop a preservation ethic through partnerships at the local level.

Richard Laub, Director of Georgia State Universitys graduate program in Heritage Preservation, Atlanta
As director of Georgia State Universitys graduate program in Heritage Preservation, Richard Laub is responsible for preparing students to become professionals in the field of historic preservation. As an educator, he believes strongly that practical, hands-on experience is key to developing the skills necessary to become an effective advocate for preservation. To accomplish this, Richard has worked closely with HPD to insure that class projects not only meet professional standards but are also useful vehicles to further preservation efforts within communities.  He has guided his students in the preparation of nominations to the National Register of Historic Places, historic structure reports, and design guidelines. Examples of numerous projects include the Collier Heights (Atlanta) Historic District National Register nomination that was presented at the January 2009 National Register Review Board. Historic structure reports for Oak Hill on the Berry College Campus in Rome and the Wells-Brown House in Stone Mountain were used to assist applicants prepare successful Georgia Heritage grant applications.  Certified Local Governments in Atlanta, Decatur, and Stone Mountain have benefited from the various design guidelines developed by his students.
Richards work has helped HPD carry out its mission and supports the goals of preserving Georgias historic resources and building a preservation ethic.

Graduate students in Georgia State Universitys Heritage Preservation program, Case Studies in Historic Preservation class (HIST 8700), Spring 2008:  Emilie Arnold, Neil Bowen, Renee Brown-Bryant, Stephanie Cherry, Parinya Chukaew, Erica Danylchak, Emily Eigel, Hilary Morrish, Melina Vasquez, and Lillie Ward, Atlanta 
In the spring of 2008, the graduate students in Georgia State Universitys Heritage Preservation program compiled the supporting documentation for the Collier Heights Historic District National Register nomination.
Collier Heights is Atlantas and Georgias largest and most significant mid-20th-century African-American suburb.  When it was being developed during the 1950s and 1960s, it was heralded nationally as the countrys premier African-American suburb, developed by as well as for African Americans.  Yet until recently its history was largely undocumented, the area was not represented in any field surveys, and its significance was not widely known.  In documenting the development of Collier Heights, the students researched the 55 separate subdivisions and field-surveyed the 2,000 historic buildings on the 1,000 acres of land comprising the Collier Heights historic district.  They identified African-American architects, builders, developers, and financial institutions associated with the creation of the suburb, and they documented the lives of a sample of original residents.  The students coordinated their work with our office and the Atlanta Urban Design Commission at every step.  They also established highly productive working relationships with the Collier Heights Neighborhood Association and with current residents, many of whom provided unique historical perspectives through oral-history interviews.  Several of the students continued researching the neighborhood after the class project was completed, and others volunteered to serve as neighborhood guides for DOCOMOMOs fall 2008 tours of Atlanta-area mid-century architecture.
In carrying out this project, the GSU students strongly supporting two important HPD initiatives:  mid-20th-century residential development and African-American history.  They conducted the first large-scale field test of HPDs fledgling guide for identifying and evaluating mid-20th-century houses, especially ranch houses and split levels, and they compiled the first-ever documentation of a mid-20th-century African-American suburb in Georgia.  In documenting the history of the suburb, they identified sources of information and established a research model that will be useful in documenting other mid-20th-century African-American suburban developments.  Overall, they helped develop a National Register nomination that will set precedents nationally as well as in Georgia in terms of its scope and content, and they have brought attention to a historic place that has been shown to be worthy of the highest historic preservation consideration.