2018 Annual Meeting

Minutes

The Nominating Committee of the Mass History Alliance presents the following Slate for consideration:

President: Pleun Bouricius, Plainfield Historical Society

Vice President: Michael Potaski, Uxbridge Historical Society

Treasurer: Earl Taylor, Dorchester Historical Society

Clerk: Jonathan Green, Stonehill College Archives

Director: Margo Shea, Salem State University

Director: Eric Peterson, Waterworks Museum

Director: Robert Marchetta, Northborough Historical Society

2018-2019 Mass History Alliance Board of Director Candidate Statements

Pleun Bouricius, Plainfield Historical Society

I deeply believe in the vision of a lively and inspirational support network for organizations and people involved in the history of all the people and places in and of Massachusetts. If we stick together and work at it, we can create more awareness of history and more support for historical groups and organizations to do the work they do.

I started working on and fostering the creation of the Massachusetts History Alliance in 2012, first as director of grants and programs at Mass Humanities, now as an independent public historian. The MHA is at a critical juncture: during the coming year, we need to become a 501(c)3 organization to run the Mass History Conference and raise and manage our own funds; support the development of regional networks of historical organizations; and develop our communications platforms and website into the viable network and resource we have envisioned it to be, where statewide and national programs that benefit historical organizations can hang out their shingle and that contains links to and information about programs, funding, and collaborative projects. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, we need to continue and deepen the advocacy work we started in the past year: to the public, our towns, and the legislature.

My goal for the next two years is to transition the MHA from a fledgling to a viable and functioning organization with enough presence in the state that we’ll carry it forward together. We’re not there yet, but we will be! 100 member organizations and counting…

Pleun Bouricius is an independent historian, writer, editor, photographer, and old house carpenter. She is the owner of Swift River Press, services in public history & communications. She is president and founding co-director of the Massachusetts History Alliance and volunteer curator of the Plainfield Historical Society. She has been one of the main organizers of the Massachusetts History Conference for a decade. Previously, she was Director of Grants and Programs and Assistant Director at Mass Humanities, where she spearheaded the Reading Frederick Douglass project and several statewide film and discussion programs on civil rights topics. She has been a carpenter and licensed contractor since 2003, operating an old-house carpentry business with her husband, Tee O’Sullivan. Before that, she drove a Freightliner Classic around the country; brought the Women, Enterprise, and Society project at Baker Library at Harvard Business School to fruition; and taught history and literature and women’s history for a decade at Harvard University. Her undergraduate degree is in history, women’s studies, and photography from Montclair State College, New Jersey; her MA, in English, and PhD, in the History of American Civilization, are from Harvard University.

Michael Potaski, Uxbridge Historical Society

I am seeking membership on the Board of Directors to apply my knowledge, skills, and abilities to assist the Massachusetts History Alliance in furthering its mission. The Alliance is on a solid initial footing and I wish to play a part in expanding its outreach and moving it to a higher level of effectiveness.

I was born and raised in Uxbridge, Massachusetts. I was awarded the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science by the University of Maryland and the degree of Master of Arts in Government with a certificate in National Security Studies by Georgetown University. I completed all requirements except the dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations Theory at the Catholic University of America. I served twelve years in the US Army Intelligence Corps with overseas duty in Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and with NATO in the Netherlands. I then transitioned to serve as a civilian intelligence officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency. I was employed in increasingly responsible analytical and management positions which included a tour of duty in the Office of the Defense Attache at the US Embassy in New Delhi, India. I retired in 2004 as the Director of the Department of Defense Indications and Warning Intelligence Staff. I then returned to Uxbridge where I have served as a Selectman, Water and Sewer Commissioner, Conservation Commissioner, and Historic District Commissioner. I am a member of the Uxbridge Historical Society and I volunteer at the Uxbridge Free Public Library where I respond to queries about local history and genealogy. I am finalizing a book titled “Uxbridge, Massachusetts in the Eighteenth Century” and I have authored several monographs and presentations on local history and historical characters. Additionally, I am on the Boards of Directors of two 501(c)3 organizations. In the first instance, I serve as the President of the Uxbridge-Millville Housing Association which provides housing for low-income seniors and disabled. The Uxbridge property is a restored historic textile mill. In the second instance I am Vice President of the Virginia Blanchard Memorial Housing Association which is in the process of repurposing an historic school building to provide housing for low and moderate-income families.

Earl Taylor, Dorchester Historical Society

I have been president of the Dorchester Historical Society since 2001.  Early in my career, I was a librarian at some of the premier rare book libraries in New England, and later went into real estate finance.  The Dorchester Historical Society owns 5 buildings on 2 different campuses plus it has large collections of documents, books, maps, photographs, postcards, agricultural implements, furniture, paintings, pewter, pottery, textiles, and much more.

I can help MHA to achieve 501(c)3 status and to develop our story.  I want to encourage a discussion about branding for MHA, developing a consistent look to communications, as well as encourage greater use of social media.  We need to start a new conversation about how historical organizations contribute to communities.  I believe that MHA should foster the creation of new regional networks by creating a model of achievable steps.  I want to encourage a schedule for advocacy that includes all member institutions.

Jonathan Green, Stonehill College Archives

State and local history is, quite simply, my passion and that is the main reason why I would like to run for the board of the Massachusetts History Alliance. I have seen, experienced, and dealt with many challenges that both public and private historical organizations of varying sizes face. While funding and staffing are two of the most common challenges, I believe there is also a greater need for partnerships and dialog between historical organizations. Although the MHA is young, I am encouraged by the comradery and support the organization offers, and I believe there is enormous potential for it to grow and have a greater impact on Massachusetts’ historical organizations. In particular, I would like to help nurture support and increase participation from a larger number of historical organizations in southeastern Massachusetts where I have strong ties. I believe I have a great deal to contribute to the MHA’s growth and would greatly appreciate the opportunity to work with the organization.

Jonathan Green is a public historian, archivist, and educator. He received his bachelor’s degree in History from Stonehill College and his Master’s in History from UMass Boston. Since 2010 he has worked as the Assistant Director of Archives and Digital Assets Manager at Stonehill College, where he also teaches courses in public history and environmental history and regularly collaborates with the Brockton and Easton historical societies. While fulfilling his duties at Stonehill, Jon has also held various positions at local historical organizations including the Whitman Historical Commission, the board of the Milton Historical Society, the Old Colony History Museum, and Plimoth Plantation.

Margo Shea, Salem State University

I am a scholar and practitioner of public history with expertise in community history, oral history, and participatory methods in memory studies.  Currently I am an Assistant Professor of Public History and coordinator of the Public History certificate program at Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts. A focus on bringing a grounded historical perspective to memory studies while insisting on collaborative and community-engaged research methods in historical research is central to my teaching and research philosophy.  These values are part of my larger goal of demonstrating through my work that historical scholarship and historical practice meet in spaces of engagement, curiosity, and an examination of the consequences of the past for the present and the future.  I have written extensively on history and memory in Northern Ireland’s “second city,” Derry/Londonderry and have examined the interplay of emotion, memory, and politics in a variety of heritage projects. I have also worked on participatory community history and place-based research projects in Massachusetts and Tennessee.   In addition to public history, I teach Irish history, world history, and urban history.  You may learn more about me here: www.theflickeringlamp.org.

Eric Peterson, Waterworks Museum

I attended the recent Mass History Alliance meeting and I was dismayed to learn that many of this important organization’s leadership positions need to be filled. At the same time, I was impressed by the broad range of history professionals brought together by their passion to improve what they do and learn from their colleagues.

I share this commitment and it concerns me that there is a contemporary trend away from appreciating the merits of history. I consider the Board position an opportunity where I might be able to contribute to the effort of strengthening this collective. I’d like to utilize my experience, dedication, and creativity to re-invigorate the educators, administrators, museum workers, tour guides, archivists, and all those who consider an appreciation of history to be a vital human component. For most of us, it’s not just a job, it’s a philosophical point of view!

My family and friends consider me to be a ‘history nerd’ and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I majored in History at Vassar College a long time ago (1980). In 2010 I started volunteering at the then, just forming, Metropolitan Waterworks Museum in Chestnut Hill, MA. It was a thrill to be part of this fledgling organization from its earliest days, but also a huge amount of work. After I received a Master’s in Museum Studies from Harvard’s Extension School in 2012, I continued in a paid capacity as Director of Operations. Thankfully my unique skill set provides me with all sorts of practical knowledge (as a parent of two teenage daughters and as a former Peace Corps volunteer: Gabon, West Africa 1885-87) as well as an intellectual understanding of how museums operate. So I retained my job, as the museum experienced growing pains that led to the departure of four Executive Directors! With the elimination of that position, and the turmoil hopefully behind us, I now serve as the Museum’s Manager.

Robert Marchetta, Northborough Historical Society

As an archivist, historian, and genealogist, I am frequently reminded that the past is an important part of our present and that it helps shape our future.   I firmly believe that through history, our past becomes more accessible, more meaningful, and can be applied to better understand a myriad of contemporary issues. As such, I would be honored to be considered as a candidate for the Massachusetts History Alliance.

In seeking a position on the board, I bring many years of professional experience.  I hold a Master’s Degree in Archival Management from Simmons College and my experience includes work at the Archives of the Naval War College, Newport, RI, volunteer service at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, and the Worcester Historical Museum.  Currently, I am the President of the Northborough Historical Society, having served previously as Vice President and as a member of the Board of Directors.  I am adept at working collaboratively with others, moving the mission of an organization forward, and bringing together a strong and diverse group of people who as a team equal more than the sum of their parts.  Most importantly, I am a passionate and dedicated champion of public history.

Public historians routinely engage in collaborative work, be it with community members, stakeholders or colleagues; so, it is only fitting that a key concept in the Massachusetts History Alliance Mission Statement is to support and advocate for the work of all public history organizations within the Commonwealth.   As I strongly share this vision, I feel that serving on the Board of Directors will provide me the rewarding opportunity of contributing to the continued growth of a robust network committed to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and providing access to the collective history of Massachusetts.

Respectfully submitted, June 27, 2018

Patty Bruttomesso
Robert Forrant