The Historical Society of Sarasota County was delighted to present awards to three recipients at its Annual Meeting.

Hero of History Jeff LaHurd

At its 2015 annual meeting on May 2 in the historic Crocker Memorial Church (1901), the Historical Society of Sarasota County presented three awards to community people who have made significant contributions to history education, preservation, research and programming.

Receiving the 2015 Hero of History award is Jeff LaHurd, historian, author and lecturer, who through his writings and public presentations continually educates the public about the history of Sarasota and Florida.

Harriet Stieff Distinguished Service Award

Receiving awards for Distinguished Service were two Historical Society members with long records of service to the Society and to Sarasota County. They are: Viola Goldberg, a past president of the Historical Society and a current member of the Advisory Board and Harriet Burns Stieff, a past board member and current member of the Advisory Board. Mrs. Stieff is the youngest daughter of Owen Burns, a Sarasota history maker and one of Sarasota’s legendary early developers. Both of these women have been the subjects of video oral histories, and their memories about Sarasota in days gone by are available on CD in the library of the Historical Society.

Viola Goldberg Distinguished Service Award

In presenting the awards, Howard Rosenthal, President of the Historical Society, said

“We are extremely proud of and grateful for the accomplishments of all three of this year’s award recipients. Each one demonstrates how much individuals can do to keep the history of Sarasota County alive, not only for their own generation but for those generations yet to come.”