Thomas to receive State Historical Society award
May 18, 2007
 MOUNT VERNON - The Rev. Richard Thomas, Cornell College chaplain and professor of history emeritus, will be awarded the 2007 Petersen/Harlan Award from the State Historical Society of Iowa at the annual Celebrate Community History event May 21 at the State Historical Building in Des Moines. The award recognizes his 40 years as an outstanding advocate for the study and appreciation of Iowa history.
Among his many qualifications: In 1974 he became the first chairman of the Iowa State Historical Department. In 1977 Gov. Robert Ray appointed him chairman of the Terrace Hill Authority, which transformed the Governor’s mansion into one of the nation’s best examples of adaptive reuse of a historic building. Margaret Keyes ’39, former director of the Old Capitol in Iowa City, is a previous winner of the award.
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