I am super-excited to share that historian and author Patricia J. Fanning, author of Wish You Were Here: Vintage Postcards of Norwood, Ma. published by Rock Street Press in February, is recipient of the AASLH Lifetime Achievement Award for 2024. CONGRATS!!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2024
Contact: Aja Bain, AASLH Senior Manager
of Professional Development and Publications
615-320-3203
abain@aaslh.org
Patricia J. Fanning Wins 2024 AASLH Award of Excellence
NASHVILLE, TN—The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) proudly announces that Patricia J. Fanning, Ph.D. of Norwood, Ma. is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award for 50 Years of Service to Local History and the Community of Norwood, Ma. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 79th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.
Fanning, professor emerita of sociology at Bridgewater State University, has served the town of Norwood as its unofficial town historian for decades. She is regularly called on to answer questions or advise on any number of history-related questions in town and is the primary reason that Norwood’s history has been so well documented and preserved.
Fanning has written seven books and numerous articles about Norwood including Norwood: A History (Arcadia Publishing, 2002), Influenza and Inequality: One Town’s Tragic Response to the Great Epidemic of 1918 (UMass Press, 2010) and Keeping the Past: Norwood at 150 (American History Press, 2021).Fanning has also written academic and popular articles about New England immigration, migration and ethnic history, often using Norwood as a case study.
In addition to her academic work, Fanning has been a member of the volunteer-run Norwood Historical Society for 51 years, serving as president for eight years. Over the decades she has worked to help preserve the F. Holland Day Historic House, home of the Norwood Historical Society, and tell the stories of Norwood’s residents—both famous and obscure. Her efforts have included accessioning archival material, conducting research, writing tours, curating exhibits, organizing public programs and serving as archivist and resident expert on photographer F. Holland Day.
Beginning in 2017, Fanning launched an effort to preserve the town’s oldest cemetery. She founded and now leads Old Parish Preservation Volunteers, a volunteer non-profit group dedicated to preserving the 283-year-old colonial American burying ground in the heart of Norwood. She also writes a weekly blog sharing the stories of the people buried there and organizes public events at the cemetery.
This year, AASLH confers 47 national awards honoring people, projects, exhibits, and publications. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history.
The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena. For more information about the Leadership in History Awards, contact AASLH at 615-320-3203 or go to www.aaslh.org.
Old Parish Preservation Volunteers (OPPV) is a volunteer non-profit group founded in 2018 whose mission is to restore, enhance and raise public awareness of the Old Parish Cemetery in Norwood, Ma.
The American Association for State and Local History is a not-for-profit professional organization of individuals and institutions working to preserve and promote history. From its headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee, AASLH provides leadership, service, and support for its members who preserve and interpret state and local history in order to make the past more meaningful to all people. AASLH publishes books, technical publications, a quarterly magazine and maintains numerous affinity communities and committees serving a broad range of constituents across the historical community. The association also sponsors an annual meeting, regional and national training in-person workshops and online training.
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Heather S. Cole 