Rock Street Press author Patricia J. Fanning was recently recognized by the Mass History Alliance with a STAR Award for her work preserving and sharing local history. Congrats Patti!!!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 18, 2025
Media Contacts:
Massachusetts History Alliance, commons@masshistoryalliance.org
NORWOOD RESIDENT RECOGNIZED BY STATEWIDE HISTORY ORGANIZATION
Patricia J. Fanning, PhD, a lifelong Norwood resident, was recognized by the Mass History Alliance (MHA) in June with the STAR Award for her continued service to preserving and sharing the history of Norwood with the public. Fanning was recognized alongside several other “local history heroes,” as the award describes, from across the Commonwealth. The Mass History Alliance recognized these award recipients at their annual Mass History Conference on June 2, 2025, in Amherst.
The MHA STAR Awards are modeled on the former Baystate Historical League’s Local History Hero award and began in 2021.With this award, the MHA honors members of the history field who have demonstrated long term commitment, outstanding work with concrete results, exemplary innovation, local leadership for change, or contributions to equity and justice. MHA Star Awards are granted to Massachusetts people who have made outstanding contributions to the research and interpretation of the history of their communities.
Fanning, professor emerita of sociology at Bridgewater State University, is a lifelong resident of Norwood and the primary reason that the town’s history has been so well documented and preserved. She has written several books and numerous articles about Norwood, led two local history organizations, facilitated innumerable public history programs, and is the person anyone turns to if they have a question about Norwood’s past.
Fanning’s books include Influenza and Inequality: One Town’s Tragic Response to the Great Epidemic of 1918 (UMass Press, 2010) and Through an Uncommon Lens: The Life and Photography of F. Holland Day” (UMass Press, 2008). Fanning has also written academic and popular articles about New England immigration, migration and ethnic history, often using Norwood as a case study. Her two most recent books, Wish You Were Here: Vintage Postcards of Norwood, Ma. (2024) and “A Most Infamous Young Swindler” The Short Tragic Life of Thomas Langrel Harris (2025), were published by Rock Street Press.
In addition to her academic work, Fanning’s contributions to Norwood’s local history have been tireless. She has been a member of the volunteer-run Norwood Historical Society for 51 years, serving as president for eight years. 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 included accessioning archival material, conducting research, writing tours, curating exhibits, organizing public programs and serving as archivist and resident expert on F. Holland Day.
Beginning in 2017, Fanning launched an effort to preserve Norwood’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.
Massachusetts History Alliance
The mission of the Massachusetts History Alliance and its annual conference is to support and advocate for all public history organizations and their work in Massachusetts by maximizing connections and cross-fertilization, and supporting skills development in the field of public history in Massachusetts.
###
Heather S. Cole 