Nominations for this year’s Ken Balsley Lacey Historian of the Year Award now open

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The Lacey Historical Commission has opened nominations for the 2024 Ken Balsley Lacey Historian of the Year Award in celebration of Lacey History Month in May.

Nominations will be accepted until Monday, April 1, 2024.

Established in 2002, this award aims to honor individuals and organizations who have significantly contributed to preserving or promoting Lacey’s rich history. 

Last year, the award was renamed in honor of the late Ken Balsley, a passionate advocate for Lacey's history.

Dr. Thelma Jackson received the award for the 2023 Ken Balsley Lacey Historian of the Year. She focused on the 25-year period of 1950-1975 to cover the large gap in the historical documentation of black people in the area and wrote a book: Blacks in Thurston County, Washington, 1950-1975: A Community Album.

Dr. Thelma Jackson, Thurston County Historian of the Year, shares her "Blacks in Thurston County, Washington, 1950-1975: A Community Album." The book documents the historical experiences of Black people in the area and fills a gap in the historical documentation.
Dr. Thelma Jackson, Thurston County Historian of the Year, shares her "Blacks in Thurston County, Washington, 1950-1975: A Community Album." The book …

Previous winners have included:

  • Shirley Dziedzic (2002)
  • Roger Easton and the Lacey Women's Club (2003)
  • William Ehlers (2004)
  • Andrea Taylor (2005)
  • Lyman Fleetwood (2007)
  • Lanny Weaver (2010)
  • Matthew Connor (2011)
  • Diane Dean (2012)
  • Susan Goff (2013)
  • Richard Jones (2014)
  • Ken Balsley (2015)
  • Lori Flemm (2016)
  • Nora Brown and Amy Turner (2017)
  • Marisa Merkel (2020)
  • Seth Huff (2022)
  • Thelma Jackson (2023)

The Lacey Historical Commission invites the public to participate in the nomination process. 

Nomination forms are available online and at City Hall, located at the Lacey Parks, Culture, and Recreation Department, 420 College Street SE.

Candidates for the award will be deliberated upon during the Lacey Historical Commission's regular meeting on Wednesday, April 17, at 6 p.m. 

The meeting will be open to the public both in-person at Lacey City Hall and online via Zoom.

For more information on the Historian of the Year program, Lacey History Month, or the Lacey Historical Commission, interested parties are encouraged to contact the Lacey Parks, Culture, and Recreation Department at (360) 491-0857.

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