Agenda
15 July 2021, 4:00 pm-5:30 pm
4:05 — Intro (Pleun Bouricius, president)
4:10 — Annual Report — discussion (*action item)
4:20 — Treasurer’s Report — discussion (* action item)
4:30 — 2021/22 budget — discussion (* action item)
4:40 — Board vote to fill vacated officer positions: TreasurerJenna Ware and Clerk Mike Potaski (* action item)
4:45 — Closing of the election and bylaw changes — results should be available immediately
4:55 — Congratulations and introduction of the new board members
5:05 — Strategic Plan presentation (Eric Peterson)
5:10 — Questions and discussion
5:20 — Reminder of July 22nd and in person meetings: call for committee participation of board members and others
5:25 — Meeting closes
Board Members
Pleun Bouricius (Plainfield Historical Society), Erika Briesacher (Worcester State University), Stacia Caplanson (Preservation Massachusetts), Rebecca Griffith (Freedom Tail Foundation), Gavin Kleespies (Massachusetts Historical Society), Ymelda Laxton-Rivera (Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library), Katie MacDonald (Old Colony History Museum), Sonia Pacheco (UMass Dartmouth), Eric Peterson (Waterworks Museum), Mike Potaski (Uxbridge Historical Commission), Danielle Sangalang (Mass College of Art and Design), Margo Shea (Salem State University), Earl Taylor (Dorchester Historical Society), Jenna Ware (Crane Museum of Papermaking)
Minutes
Board Member Election and Bylaw Changes, July 2021
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There are two proposed bylaw changes to clarify a contradiction between two articles. Current bylaws with the proposed changes highlighted.
- The Nominating Committee has submitted a slate of six new candidates to stand for election to the Board and three candidates for reelection. Their names are listed below.
Proposed slate of Directors
Susan Bennett, Historic New England (first term)
I am trained as a lawyer and archivist and entered the field of public history twenty years ago. My first experience was working in local history archives, after which I became Executive Director of the Lexington Historical Society for twelve years. In Lexington, I oversaw a number of building projects, including adaptive reuse of an old train station, the rehabilitation of three Colonial-era structures, and the construction of a purpose-built archives center. We also developed new interpretation and programming for the Society and built a professional staff. I then became Executive Director of Canterbury Shaker Village in New Hampshire, with responsibility for a site of 700 acres and twenty-five buildings. Now retired, I serve on the Lexington Historical Commission.
Pleun Bouricius, Plainfield Historical Society (second term)
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.
Daniel Everton, New Bedford LGBTQ+ Archive, New Bedford Free Public Library (first term)
New Bedford based historian and artist Daniel W. Everton has been honing their skills in archaeology and digital humanities in the field. Be it behind the camera or in front of a crowd, he has delighted others with his research and work about material culture, colonization, and gender & sexuality. Beyond visual media, his research methods and artistry focus on traditional craft and trade mediums such as weaving, embroidery, and printmaking. He has contributed to work with institutions such as New Bedford Art Museum/ArtWorks! and The Library Company of Philadelphia. He is also a founding member of the New Bedford LGBTQ Winter Film Series and the community archivist for the New Bedford LGBTQ+ Archive. He graduated from University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth with a BA in History and a minor in Black Studies in 2019, and currently is a graduate student of Brown University in the Public Humanities MA program.
John Galluzzo, Hanover Historical Society (first term)
John Galluzzo (B.A., UMASS Amherst, 1993) is the President of the Hanover Historical Society, the Maritime Heritage Chair of NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, the Awards Committee Chair of the Foundation for Coast Guard History, and the author, coauthor or editor of 52 books mostly on the history of Massachusetts, including By Resolution and Perseverance: The History of the Humane Society of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Aviation, The Coast Guard in Massachusetts, Battleship Cove and, most recently, The Weston Golf Club 125th Anniversary History. John lectures frequently on Massachusetts history topics, and, utilizing his 15 years as a naturalist, leads nature walks anywhere in Massachusetts that explore the history of land use. In 2011 he combined his passions for history and nature to walk in all 351 communities, publishing Half an Hour a Day Across Massachusetts.
Ahenebah Lane, NEMA (first term)
Ahenebah Lane is a public historian. She received her Master’s degree in History at Worcester State University. In 2018 she developed & curated a seasonal exhibit on local Civil War soldiers at Worcester City Hall. Her Master’s thesis focus was – Worcester: A Case Study in the Loss of Collective Memory and Lack of Historiography After the 1918 Influenza Epidemic. She is a contributing author of three publications: For the Unity of the Republic: The Men of the Worcester Soldier’s Monument, 2016; They Ventured Far in the Cause of Liberty, 2017; the most recent, published in 2020, is The Grip: The 1918 Pandemic and a City Under Siege. She is currently working on an independent oral history project called Life in Pandemic. She is a happy wife and mother of two beautiful children.
Erin McGough, Duxbury Rural & Historical Society (first term)
Erin McGough has had a 20 year career in museum work. For the past 7 years, she has served as the Executive Director for the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society. Her background is in museum collections and historical building/property management; she has held Registrar/Collections Manager positions at the DRHS, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, and the Concord Museum. She had early training experiences at the Peabody Museum at Harvard, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum. Erin has a Master of Arts in Art History and Museum Studies from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts in Art History from The College of William and Mary. In 2020, Erin completed a certificate in professional fundraising from Boston University.
Carol Nichols, Berkshire County Historical Society (first term)
As denizen of MA, I spent my formative years in the Berkshires, primarily in Pittsfield, graduated UMass Amherst, received a doctorate from Brandeis, spent childrearing and career decades in Boston and Metro West focused on Human Services and Behavioral Health, and more recently have come full circle as a retiree to “home” in the Berkshires. I enjoy the beauty and culture of the Berkshires and I’m active in exploring the region from the mountains to the Cobbles, hiking, cross-country skiing, etc., with family and canines. My appreciation for the area dates back to the history of my family members who arrived here in the early 1800’s to farm, and to work in the mills and quarries. Their stories and narratives, passed along, framed the immigrant experience for me as a vivid reality. As a member of the Berkshire County Historical Society (BCHS) and of the Pittsfield Historical Commission, I am able to follow my passion for researching and learning about the regional history of the Berkshires and the interconnectedness of all MA history. I’m an avid supporter of collaboration and fostering connections with and between, historical, educational, and public institutions. A recent collaboration with my neighbors, Berkshire Community College, and BCHS resulted in the City of Pittsfield, via CPA funds, engaging in the preservation of the neglected 1800’s West Part Cemetery in Pittsfield’s West End. Much public history will be made available from the history of the early settlers who are interred in this old burial ground and our intent is to encourage students, residents, and tourists alike to visit when the area is improved. Working in conjunction with other Board members statewide, I would expect to engage in supporting both regional and state efforts to advocate for public history endeavors in MA and to actively help organize conversations for the interactive Mass History Commons as well as help with the production of the yearly Mass History Conference (which I found invaluable in terms of education, networking, and exchange of ideas in 2019).
Eric Peterson, Waterworks Museum (second term)
A lifelong resident of Lexington, MA, Mr. Peterson has long been engaged by history. He majored in History at Vassar College, served in the Peace Corps in Gabon Africa and worked in San Francisco for 20 years before returning home with his young family. While earning a Masters in Museum Studies from Harvard’s Extension School, he volunteered at the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum in Chestnut Hill, MA before its opening to the public in 2011. He worked his way up until he achieved the position of Executive Director in 2018. Committed to strengthening public awareness of the vital importance of history by helping to protect the sites, artifacts and organizations that bring the past into the present, Mr. Peterson currently serves as the Vice President of the Mass History Alliance and Chair of its Advocacy Committee.
Mike Potaski, Uxbridge Historical Society (second term)
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 36 years in Federal military and civil service intelligence positions before retiring and returning to Uxbridge in 2004. In retirement I am active in municipal activities including current service on the Uxbridge Historic Commission and Historical Society. 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 has repurposed an historic school building to provide housing for low and moderate-income families. As a member of the Historic Commission and Historical Society I am currently involved in the renovation of the 18th Century John Farnum House.