The Medallion, Volume 49, Number 4, Fall 2011 Page: 15
15 p. : col. ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
CHC CORNER
The Medallion is published bimonthly by
the Texas Historical Commission. Address
correspondence to: Managing Editor,
The Medallion, P.O. Box 12276, Austin, TX
78711-2276. Portions of the newsletter that
are not copyrighted or reprinted from other
sources may be reprinted with permission.
Contributions for the support of this
publication are gratefully accepted. For
information about alternate formats of
this publication, contact the THC
at 512.463.6255.
TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
Commissioners:
Jon T. Hansen, Chair
David A. Gravelle, Vice Chair
Gilbert E. Peterson, Secretary
Thomas E. Alexander Sheri S. Krause
Earl Broussard Jr. Matthew Kreisle
A. Mario Castillo Tom Perini
Leslie "Kirk" Courson Thomas R. Phillips
John W. Crain Judy Richardson
Lisa A. Hembry Nancy Steves
Steven L. Highlander Daisy Sloan White
Commissioner Emeritus: T. R. Fehrenbach
Executive Director: Mark Wolfe
Medallion Staff:
Heather McBride Department Head
Andy Rhodes Managing Editor
Barbara Putrino Contributing Editor
Judy Jensen Senior Graphic Designer
ISSN 0890-7595
Vol. 49, No. IV
www.thc.state.tx.us thc@thc.state.tx.us
The Medallion is financed in part by a grant
from the National Park Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior. All of the agency's
public programs and activities are operated
free from discrimination on the basis of race,
color, national origin, age, gender or disability.
Any person who believes he or she has been
discriminated against should write to Office
of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of
the Interior, Washington, DC 20240.
The Medallion is available online at www.thc.
state.tx.us/medallionmag/mddefault.shtml. If
you would prefer to receive The Medallion
electronically instead of through the mail,
please send your name and address to
thc@thc.state.tx.us. You will be notified by
email when each new issue is available on the
THC web site and will no longer receive a
printed copy.
Our Mission
To protect and preserve the state's historic
and prehistoric resources for the use,
education, enjoyment, and economic
benefit of present and future generations.CHC Impact
Groups Doing More with Less
By Amy Hammons, County Historical Commission Outreach CoordinatorThe year 2011 has been filled with
conversations about the value of
preserving and promoting our heritage.
Inevitably, this leads to questioning
the value of preservationists' service--
the time, energy, and money we invest
in our efforts to save the real places
of Texas.
It is difficult to express and qualify
preservation's intangible impacts on
a community. Consequently, County
Historical Commissions (CHC) are
undervalued and rarely provided the
funding necessary to do the work for
which they are tasked.
Typically, CHCs rise to these
financial challenges and continue to
serve by supplementing county budgets
with personal funds and services.
As a result, it becomes difficult to
demonstrate the need for continued
and additional support when our
only response is to do more work
with fewer resources.
Consider how this impacts our
members and partners. Do we value
our volunteers if we not only expect
more of their time, but also expect
them to incur more out-of-pocket
expenses to fund projects?
Think of your requests to
professionals for presentations, site
visits, and conditions assessments,
which require research, preparation,
evaluation, and travel costs. If we
continue to expect others to provide
these services pro-bono or at a reduced
rate, then we may undervalue their
worth just as others often undervalue
the significant contributions of CHCs.
There are no simple solutions to
these quandaries, but the following tips
will help to illustrate and convey the
value of CHCs' work.* Keep track of time, travel,
and expenses and report the
information to your county
to document the extent of the
investment in your appointed role.
This also affirms the contribution
of your volunteers.
* Provide realistic budgets for
your work. Instead of lowering
your requested amount for fear
of being turned down, provide
a line-itemed estimate of the
proposed work including
any in-kind supplements
that contribute to the
entire cost. This shows
ingenuity to fund quality
projects in their entirety. M t s a
* Make the most of any
opportunity to work with
partners and professionals.
Ensure your appointees
attentively listen at
presentations and apply the
information offered.
During this time of
reduced
budgets,
tunities
with sizable
impacts will be prioritized
by your county, partners,
and appointees. Make
sure your CHC is the best
investment of everyone's time
and money. *
Bob Brinkman, THC preservation
professional, frequently prepares
presentations for the public and
CHCs on history-related topics.TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION
FALL 2011
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas Historical Commission. The Medallion, Volume 49, Number 4, Fall 2011, periodical, Autumn 2011; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth253479/m1/15/: accessed April 30, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Commission.