MNHS Honors Excellence in Research and Writing for 'Minnesota History' Magazine

Tonight MNHS Director and CEO Kent Whitworth presented the annual Solon J. Buck and Theodore C. Blegen awards, which recognize originality, excellence and creativity in research and writing for articles published in "Minnesota History" magazine. The 2017 awardees are:

• Solon J. Buck Award: Kim Heikkila, "'Everybody thinks it’s right to give the child away’: Unwed Mothers at Booth Memorial Hospital, 1961–63," (PDF) Summer 2017. The judges lauded the way the author masterfully wove social history and memoirist elements, telling a complex story with broad appeal. Heikkila holds a Ph.D. in American Studies and runs an oral history consulting business, Spotlight Oral History. She is the author of “Sisterhood of War: Minnesota Women in Vietnam” (MNHS Press) and is writing a second book for the Press on the topic of her award-winning article.

• Theodore C. Blegen Award: Peter DeCarlo, "Loyalty Within Racism: The Segregated Sixteenth Battalion of the Minnesota Home Guard During World War I," (PDF) Summer 2017. The judges cited the way the author used sources and raised relevant questions helping the reader to understand an important episode in Minnesota history. DeCarlo holds a master’s degree in history and is a research historian at MNHS. He is the author of “Fort Snelling at Bdote” (MNHS Press).

Two judges and the “Minnesota History” editor select the winners. Each receives a cash prize of $600. Whitworth made the announcement tonight at the 169th MNHS annual meeting.

About the Buck and Blegen Awards

The Solon J. Buck Award has been awarded since 1954 to the best article of the year. The prize is named for the magazine’s first editor who was also superintendent of the Minnesota Historical Society, and, later, United States Archivist.

The Theodore C. Blegen Award has been given since 1971 to the best article written by an MNHS staff member. The prize is named for the magazine’s second editor who was also superintendent of MNHS and later, dean and professor at the University of Minnesota.

“Minnesota History” magazine is a benefit of membership. It has been published quarterly since 1915.

About the Minnesota Historical Society

The Minnesota Historical Society is a non-profit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history. Visit us at mnhs.org.