All Articles

Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg joined the State Historical Society of Iowa Board of Trustees last week to present the annual Excellence in Iowa History Awards during a ceremony at the Lakeview Community Center in Clear Lake.

The awards honor individuals, organizations and communities that make outstanding contributions to the field of Iowa history. The State Historical Society of Iowa is a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

“One of the most important aspects of history is its ability to inform and shape the future,” Gregg said. “I would expect that there are students out there who will read the honorees’ works, study them in school, attend their events and exhibits, and see Iowa history that they have preserved. So, most of all, thank you to the award winners who are inspiring and empowering the next generation of Iowans to ensure that our state’s history and legacy continues.”

“Each year, we recognize those who have made outstanding contributions to the study and practice of Iowa history,” said Tyler De Haan of Van Meter, chair of the State Historical Society’s board of trustees. “These winners have made remarkable achievements that focus on Iowa history. We appreciate their contributions and congratulate them on their success.”

This year’s list of award winners includes individuals and projects from across the state – Ames, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Iowa City, Johnston, and Laurens – and around the country.

“Iowa’s early founders recognized the importance of recording and sharing Iowa’s history for the future, and this work builds on that foundation they created 166 years ago,” State Historical Society of Iowa Administrator Susan Kloewer said. “I encourage our award winners and others to keep preserving and sharing our history as we know firsthand the importance history has to the identity of our fellow Iowans and how it helps enrich our communities.”

Some of this year’s Excellence in Iowa History Award recipients follow:

Benjamin F. Shambaugh Award
This award recognizes the most significant book published about Iowa history during the previous calendar year. Its namesake was the superintendent of the State Historical Society of Iowa and a professor of political economy at the University of Iowa.

Award Recipient: Pamela Riney-Kehrberg of Ames, Iowa
Book: “When a Dream Dies: Agriculture, Iowa, and the Farm Crisis of the 1980s”
Publisher: University of Kansas Press

Certificate of Merit: Kenneth Lyftogt of Cedar Falls, Iowa
Book: “Iowa and the Civil War, Volume 3: The Longest Year”
Publisher: Camp Pope Publishing

Certificate of Merit: Teresa Wilhelm Waldof of Rochester, Minnesota
Book: “Wilhelm’s Way: The Inspiring Story of the Iowa Chemist Who Saved the Manhattan Project”
Publisher: Teresa Wilhelm Waldof