The Historical Society of Michigan has announced three honors to be presented to the MSU Press and its authors. They will be recognized at the 2021 Annual Meeting and History Conference, September 24–25, 2021.
The Historical Society of Michigan will recognize Graydon M. Meints of Kalamazoo with the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award. Meints has written about virtually every facet of Michigan’s railroad history, many of those books with MSU Press. Meints spent ten years working at the New York Central Railroad before embarking on a 32-year career with the Fidelity Federal Savings Bank. Throughout much of that time, he researched and wrote articles and books about Michigan’s railroads. In addition, Meints has also presented programs about Michigan railroads around the state.
Frank Boles of Mt. Pleasant will receive the 2021 State History Award for Distinguished Professional Service. Boles earned his doctorate in American labor history from the University of Michigan. He has previously worked at the Chicago Historical Museum, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Bentley Historical Library and the University of Michigan’s School of Information. In 1991, he became director of the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University. Under his leadership, the Clarke developed a rich collection of books and manuscripts and became a statewide leader in digitizing collections, including 400,000 pages of newspapers. Boles is also a prolific author, having written several foundational research papers, books and articles.
The Historical Society of Michigan will present a State History Award in the category of Books: University & Commercial Press to José António Brandão for Mémoires of Michilimackinac and the Pays d’en Haut, published by Michigan State University Press. In this book, Brandão uses three critically important original works to examine French and Native-American relations in the Great Lakes region prior to 1715. The scholarship and insights provided by this new work will delight serious students of France in North America, but the book is enjoyable for readers who have even a modest interest in the era.
The Historical Society of Michigan is the state’s oldest cultural organization, founded in 1828. A nongovernmental nonprofit, the Society focuses on publications, conferences, education, awards and recognition programming, and support for local history organizations to preserve and promote Michigan’s rich history.