Governor’s Mansion Reception Honors Organization’s Pioneers(continued)
Also on the program for the event were speaker Brad Lepper, archeologist from the Ohio Historical Society, who reminded those gathered of the world-class archeological sites in Hill Country; and former OHCHA director and Marietta Mayor Moon Mullen, who entertained the crowd with his voice harp. OHCHA Board President Tom O’Grady welcomed guests reminding them of the importance of the work completed by the honored pioneers and the importance of protecting our historical, cultural and environmental resources. Board member Tim Traxler presented the awards and John Winnenberg gave an overview of the organization’s current activities.
In recognizing Burton and Henahan, Traxler said the following: Martha Burton has spent the last four decades as a passionate advocate for the arts and heritage in Ohio and especially in her beloved southern Ohio. Martha and her late husband Everett, were raised in Portsmouth and met in high school. Martha first became involved in the arts back in 1970, when she was involved in the founding of the Portsmouth Arts Council; she co-chaired the initial fundraising campaign to establish the Southern Ohio Museum, one of the state’s premier cultural institutions; and went on to serve on the board and as president of the Museum. Martha was involved in local historic preservation efforts, as well and was an early advocate for the Boneyfiddle Historic District, as well as individual landmarks in Portsmouth.
While her activities in Portsmouth alone would make her worthy of an award, she didn’t stop there. She has had an impact on the entire state. Martha was appointed to serve on the Ohio Arts Council by Gov. Voinovich in 1991 and has been an extremely active member ever since. She has also served on the Ohio Historic Site Preservation Advisory Board, which reviews all National Register nominations for the State of Ohio. Martha became actively involved in the formation of Ohio’s Hill Country Heritage Area as a member of the Ohio Arts Council. She attended dozens of early planning meetings and offered her sound advice; she used her persuasive skills to encourage others to become involved; and she did whatever she was asked to do to make sure that the program was established and would be successful when it was spun off from the Ohio Arts Council to become an independent non-profit organization. Martha relocated to Worthington, here in central Ohio, in 2008. True to form, she has become actively involved in the cultural life of her new home and now serves on the board of the newly-opened McConnell Arts Center.
Martha, thank you for all you have done, to make people aware of Ohio’s rich cultural life – past, present and future. Thank you, too, for believing in the idea of Ohio’s Hill Country Heritage Area and for giving so much to make sure that it became a reality.
Patricia Henahan, Pat Henahan has a true love for Ohio’s Hill Country. Raised in a military family, Pat lived in a number of states before her family moved to Lancaster, Ohio when she was in high school. She is a graduate of Ohio University with a degree in design. Following work in retail planning in the private sector, Pat found her calling when she joined the Ohio Arts Council as a staff member in 1986. Over the past 24 years, she has helped countless arts and heritage organizations to realize their potential. She served for many years as the Design Arts Coordinator and she was the person at the Ohio Arts Council who thought outside the box and imagined the creation of a heritage area in Ohio’s Hill Country.
Beginning with attendance at a conference at Roscoe Village in the mid-1990s and becoming familiar with the work of others in the region, including First Lady Francis Strickland’s early efforts to define the opportunities for heritage tourism; and Dr. Lorle Porter’s early books about the rich history of the state’s Appalachian region, Pat convinced then director, Dr. Wayne Lawson, to put a line item in the OAC budget to undertake a new program. In addition to her other responsibilities at the Arts Council, Pat worked overtime to involve hundreds of individuals, dozens of organizations, and every state agency she could think of to be part of the conversation about how heritage and culture could become the foundation for economic development in the region. Over the last few years, Pat’s work responsibilities have been focused in northwest Ohio, but we were all delighted to hear that she has now been given responsibility for southeastern Ohio again, as well.
Pat, thank you for thinking about our area of the state and going out on limb to propose a new program for the Ohio Arts Council; for taking the organization through its infancy and facilitating is formation as an independent non-profit organization. Pat, welcome back to the region – we all look forward to our continued collaboration with you and the Ohio Arts Council.