Broome County Historian Awarded 2018 Herbert H. Lehman Prize for Distinguished Service
Broome County Historian Gerald Smith was chosen by the New York Academy of History to receive the 2018 Herbert H. Lehman Prize for Distinguished Service in New York History. The award is named in honor of Governor Herbert H. Lehman and is part of the Academy's mission to promote and honor outstanding and life-long contributions to New York History. The prize is made possible through the generosity of the Herbert H. Lehman Foundation and includes an honorarium of $1000 and a specially minted medal of Governor Lehman.
“I am honored to receive this prize from the Academy and for its recognition of my work over the last 3+ decades,” said Smith. “It supports my belief that through local and public history we can become better citizens of our communities.”
The New York Academy of History is a not-for-profit organization consisting of people who have distinguished themselves in the practice of New York history. It aims to encourage its study, advocate for its strength, and represent the interests of those who work in classrooms, archives, historical societies, libraries, and other venues. Membership, by invitation only, is limited to persons with a demonstrated record of accomplishment in New York history as authors, archivists, public historians, teachers, librarians, administrators, and similar achievement. We have a distinguished group of about 200 people who have been chosen by the Fellows. The organization was founded in 2007 and incorporated in the State of New York in 2008.