SARASOTA COUNTY HERITAGE AWARDS

Gregory A. and Eleana Najmy Hall Adaptive Use and Historic Preservation Awards

Ms. Vickie Oldham and Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition (SAACC)
Preservation of the Leonard Reid House
The Committee recognizes their extraordinary efforts to preserve the home of one of Sarasota’s early leaders of the City’s African American community, and repurpose the family’s home as an arts, culture and history center in Newtown that celebrates Black life and history. It is an outstanding example of the successful result of a collaborative effort with the City of Sarasota to make their vision a reality.

Florida Studio Theater
Preservation and Adaptive Reuse of the Sarasota’s Woman’s Club and Gompertz Theater
The Committee recognizes FST and its extraordinary efforts to incorporate these historic structures into their campus, and repurpose them with sensitive alterations, as it has grown over the past 50 years into one the community’s most important arts and cultural institutions.

Lillian Burns Individual Achievement

Dr. Frank Cassell, PhD.
The Committee wishes to recognize Dr. Cassell for his outstanding contributions to the history and preservation movement in Sarasota County, in the areas of scholarly research and publications, and for his tireless devotion to community service with your leadership of the Sarasota County Centennial Committee, the History and Preservation Coalition of Sarasota County and the Friends of the Sarasota County History Center, among many others.

Dorothy Korwek
The Committee wishes to recognize Ms. Korwek for her outstanding contributions to the history and preservation movement in Sarasota County. Your efforts to preserve and maintain the Triangle Inn building and the Lord-Higel House, obtain historic a historic designation for the Triangle Inn, your compilation and publication of numerous books and pamphlets documenting the history and culture of Venice, and your tireless community service are well worthy of recognition and this award.

Archaeological Conservancy

Marion Almy
The Committee wishes to recognize Marion Almy for her outstanding efforts to preserve and document prehistoric sites in Sarasota County and the Tampa Bay region, for decades of effective advocacy for archaeological conservation and historic preservation in Florida and her effectiveness in advancing archaeological preservation with national, local and state government agencies, including the Florida Department of Transportation and Florida Division of Historical Resources, among her many other accomplishments.

Historical Research

Deborah Walk
The Committee wishes to recognize Deborah for your outstanding contributions to historic research and archival preservation of our cultural past, including her research into the history of the Crocker Church for the Historical Society of Sarasota County, research for the Church of the Redeemer, the Founders Garden Club, and for her work as an archivist, researcher and author while at the Museum of the Circus of the John and Mabel Ringling Museums, among others.

Organizational Achievement

Venice Heritage, Inc.
The Committee wishes to recognize VHI for its efforts to advance historic preservation, education, research, and community engagement in Venice. As curator of two of the community’s most important historical structures, the Lord-Higel House and the Triangle Inn (now the Venice Museum), and publication of books documenting the historical cultural fabric of the city, Venice Heritage, Inc has, and continues to have, strong impact on raising community awareness of Venice’s past.