The Butler County Historical Society recognizes persons or groups who have made a significant contribution to interpreting local history, preserving our historical heritage, or increasing public historical understanding with the Distinguished Historian Award, and recognizes a volunteer who contributed an extraordinary amount of time and talent to the Society with the Volunteer of the Year Award, given at the Annual Meeting and Banquet of the Society, November 20, 2014.

DISTINGUISHED HISTORIAN: SAM ASHWORTH

The Board of Trustees commends Sam Ashworth for outstanding contributions to the history of Middletown, Hamilton and Butler County.  He has an exemplary record as Director of the Middletown Historical Society and today its President, as a former member of the Butler County Historical Society Board of Trustees, and a current member of the Heritage Hall Advisory Committee and Butler County History Collaborative.  His fine research and artistry has produced public exhibits for Armco Steel, the Middletown Historical Society, Heritage Hall, the Elisha Morgan Farm Mansion and Butler County Historical Society, and excellent video documentaries interpreting the 1913 Flood in the Miami Valley, the work of Robert McCloskey, African-American history in Middletown, and the history of Butler County industry, sports, music, and a memorable railroad disaster.  His advocacy for historical understanding is impeccable, and his career continues to be a model of excellence in historical research, artful documentation, and public advocacy.

DISTINGUISHED HISTORIAN: ROGER MILLER

The Board of Trustees commends Roger Miller for outstanding work as a researcher and interpreter of local history in Butler County, for his co-authored publications on the history of Middletown, on Armco Steel, and on Middletown postcards, for his frequent columns for the Middletown Journal and Hamilton Journal News, and radio presentations for WPFB in Middletown. Since 2000 he has been engaged in organizing and cataloging his extensive collection of books, papers and photographs for the MidPointe Library System, making his research collection accessible to the public. His significant and sustained efforts have been a model of excellence in local history research, publication and archival development.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR: ED CREIGHTON

Since opening of the Randall Research Center offered opportunities to reorganize all museum, exhibit and research facilities of the Butler County Historical Society, and to create new archival and storage spaces and arrangements, Ed Creighton has made a deep commitment to identifying, organizing, moving, cleaning, storing and displaying artifacts, furniture, artworks, equipment and more during a major renewal of the Society’s service to the public. We appreciate his ongoing commitment to caring for facilities and grounds, assistance with demanding mailings and office work, hands-on devotion to participation in Hamilton’s 4th of July parade, and personal contributions to special costumed tours. Because he has shown a creative and unrelenting willingness to step forward when assistance is needed, the Board of Trustees commends his for excellence in volunteer service.

For further information contact Kathy Creighton, Executive Director, 513-896-9930 or [email protected].