humanities heroes

Heroes honored on October 6, 2012 at the Humanities Montana Festival of the Book in Missoula (more photos)

Stan Cohen has contributed to the fields of local, state and national historical studies. In 1976 Stan established Pictorial Histories Publishing Inc., which has published over 325 books on a wide range of historical subjects. Stan was the founding director of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula and the Museum of Mountain Flying. He has also served on the boards of the Rocky Mountain Museum of Military History, the Northern Rockies Heritage Center at Fort Missoula, Preserve Historic Missoula, and the Miracle of America Museum in Polson, Montana. He spent twenty years on the Missoula Historical Preservation Commission and his Missoula historical collection has been donated to the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula. Stan has also been generous with his time and mentorship of younger historians, and often lends his assistance on historic preservation projects.

Monica Grable is artistic director of the Bitterroot Performing Arts Series, which provides performing arts programming for large and varied audiences in the Bitterroot Valley and fosters a well-rounded community. Monica brings in top-of-the-line artists, including popular and classical musicians, Irish actors and Canadian puppeteers, to perform and teach master classes. Her work helps fulfill a mission to educate and inspire children and adults of every background. Audiences benefit from Monica’s efforts to bring people together in the same room and entertain them with bright lights and rich, meaningful experiences.

Mark Johnson is a fourth-generation Montanan from Great Falls and has long been committed to promoting global awareness, education, and civic engagement around the state of Montana. Mark founded the World Affairs Council of Montana, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to providing Montanans with opportunities that foster global awareness. As a professor and a member of Montana Osher Lifelong Institute, he brings his knowledge and experience into the classroom. He has also served on the boards of organizations important to humanities in Montana and beyond, including the Montana Committee for the Humanities (now Humanities Montana), as vice president of the national U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy and as vice-chair for the national World Affairs Councils of America. Mark’s public service throughout the state illustrates his dedication to advancing humanities and understanding in our classrooms and communities.

Chérie Newman has enriched Montana Public Radio’s humanities programming for listeners of all ages in Montana and, via the Internet, the rest of the world. She creates, hosts, records and promotes humanities programming, including recording 60 fourth-grade students reading poems, which were broadcast on MTPR’s Pea Green Boat; interviewing poet Ripley Hugo and Butte artist Toni Seccomb; and producing the insightful and entertaining weekly half-hour program about writing and publishing in the West, The Write Question. Chérie has expanded the availability of locally produced humanities programming by creating podcasts of The Plant Detective, Reflections West, Musicians’ Spotlight, Montana Evening Edition newscasts and features, and The Write Question. She has pioneered Internet technology at MTPR, creating a community conversation about Montana and Western humanities that reaches listeners far beyond the state’s borders. She has brought the humanities to radio audiences with top quality interviews and programs through her imaginative commitment to broadcasting humanities topics which stir the minds of children and adults alike.

Inez Ratekin Herrig (deceased) served as head librarian of the Libby-based Lincoln County Free Library from 1929 to 1989. She devoted her life and energies to libraries and museums and promoted the humanities daily in many ways. Inez drove the first bookmobile in the nation; served as an organizer and coordinator of the Northwest Montana Federation of Libraries; was an active leader in the Libby Woman’s Club; was a dedicated, longtime member of the Montana Library Association; awarded reading certificates to schoolchildren throughout the county; was an industrious, active member of the Libby Dam Museum Task Force; inspired many in the founding and growth of the Heritage Museum in Libby, and provided for the long-term display of historical items in the library, including the earliest known oil painting of Libby (1894) which was rediscovered and restored. Inez held her county librarian post just a month short of 60 years.

Mark Sherouse was the executive director of Humanities Montana from 1995 until 2009. During that time, he recognized early on the value of electronic communication and began blogging and writing an e-newsletter. He worked diligently to build a large system of communications to spread humanities across the geographically vast state of Montana. Mark also pioneered an agreement with the Library of Congress to be a home for the Montana Center for the Book. That relationship led to the creation of the Montana Festival of the Book held in Missoula each year since 2000, and a proliferation of book festivals all over the state, including Billings, Helena, and Great Falls. During his tenure as executive director of Humanities Montana, the organization started the reading and discussion program One Book Montana, received the Daniel Boorstin Prize from the Library of Congress, was honored as a “Special Friend of Libraries” by the Montana Library Association, and received the Schwartz Prize for Public Affairs Initiative encouraging civic education and community conversations. Mark and his wife, Vicki, became ambassadors for humanities all over the state Montana. He was and is a great friend to the humanities and Montana.

Lisa Simon is creator and producer of Reflections West, a five-minute public radio show about the culture, history and literature of the American West. She solicits articles on the topic of literary advocacy for the Montana Art Councils bi-monthly publication, The State of the Arts, garnering substantial publicity for many fine literary projects across the state. She has coordinated Montana Festival of the Book events, including a panel on regional anthologies (New Poets of the American West and I Go to the Ruined Place), the Montana Poetry Salon to support poetry advocacy in Montana, and the favorite poet project. Lisa is a facilitator for Humanities Montana’s Reflect program, a presenter on Humanities Montana Speakers Bureau, through which she has given dozens of lectures in various towns around Montana, and a discussion leader on the online forum Humanities Roundtable. Lisa is currently working with Brady Harrison to compile a collection of essays, Reading Montana Poets. In addition, she has volunteered for the Missoula Writing Collaborative and the Missoula Public Library. All of this has been accomplished while also teaching literature and writing courses as an instructor at The University of Montana.

Bruce Sievers served as executive director of Humanities Montana from 1972 to 1974, when he left to found the California Council for the Humanities. Sievers has had a remarkable career in public humanities, focusing on public/private partnerships to fund cutting-edge humanities programs. He has also become a leading expert on how public humanities can support and sustain civil societies. Since 2002, Bruce has served as Visiting Scholar at the Haas Center, where he has worked on his book, Civil Society, Philanthropy and the Fate of the Commons, published in 2010. He advises philanthropy fellows and other students interested in the field. Sievers is also a Visiting Scholar at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, which he helped establish in 2006. He received three degrees from Stanford (a BA in international relations, an MA in political science, and a PhD in political science) and now teaches the undergraduate course Theories of Civil Society—Philanthropy and the Nonprofit Sector. Bruce has continued his outstanding work with state humanities councils, including serving as site visitor for Humanities Montana’s NEH self-assessment in 2004. Read Bruce Sievers's humanities statement here.

Hal Stearns graduated from Harlowton High School, earned a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in 1966 and a doctorate in education in 1978 from The University of Montana. He taught history for 34 years at high schools in Germany and Sentinel High School in Missoula, and then at The University of Montana. Hal was named Montana Teacher of the Year and Montana Outstanding U.S. History Teacher. Hal also spent 35 years in the Montana National Guard, retiring as a Brigadier General. Hal served as a board member of Humanities Montana in the past and is a popular member of the Speakers Bureau. Hal is also a recognized expert on the Lewis and Clark expedition.

Shawn Wathen co-owns Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, a key cultural, social and literary hub of the Bitterroot Valley. Shawn holds a Ph.D (abd) in East European intellectual history from Indiana Universtiy. He has taught the Bitterroot Public Library’s Marjorie A. Crawford Literature Seminars for a decade, focusing primarily on works in translation. Shawn believes that works in translation offer unique perspectives on the world we inhabit, including universal themes humans have wrestled with for millennia. He revels in challenging people to push their boundaries and look at the world in a different way. Shawn also works with teachers in the county schools and with organizations like Literacy Bitterroot. Nationally, he is on the board of directors of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and the American Booksellers Association Booksellers Advisory Council. Shawn’s passion for books and ideas has influenced the culture of humanity in the community through reflection, examination and reexamination of core values and cultures.

Heroes honored on September 6, 2012 at the Bozeman Public Library (more photos)

Paula Beswick has been the foundation director of the Bozeman Public Library for the past five years, and has made the library the arts and cultural center for the Bozeman community. She has been involved with the library’s artist receptions, the Gallatin Art Crossing sculptures at the library and throughout town, as well as the Bozeman Sculpture Park, is currently president of the Bozeman Professional Women’s group, the One Book–One Bozeman program, the “Jazz with Kelly Roberti” series and the monthly “Exploring the Arts” programs featuring local musicians and artists. Paula also is connected to the needs of children and teens. Under her leadership, the foundation has been able to provide the additional funding necessary to host unique and important events, such as the annual Children’s Festival of the Book, where the top children’s authors and illustrators come to Bozeman to share their talents with kids and their families.

Roger Dunsmore spent 27 years as a professor in The University of Montana Wilderness Institute's "Wilderness and Civilization" program, where he introduced countless students to the poetry, literature, and philosophy of ecology, long before it was a popular idea. He has worked tirelessly and generously to promote American Indian literature and culture, teaching Navaho children, writing criticism about Native literature, and teaching American Indian literature and history. Roger now teaches at The University of Montana-Western in Dillon. He is a poet and writer, having published nine books, all admirable and influential collections. Roger has made a career-long study of classical Chinese poetry, above all the Tao De Ching, and he incorporates some of this work into his classes. Roger and his wife, Jenni Fallein, also lead a poetry circle, an institution they have continued for many years, both in Missoula and now in Dillon, and travel the state with their group Bent Grass Poetry Troupe doing readings and workshops. Read Roger Dunsmore's humanities statement here.

Eric Funk is a long time professor of music and a faculty member of the honors program at Montana State University. Eric conducts and composes music but he devotes most of his time to teaching and community service projects. His teaching ability has been acknowledged by excellence in teaching awards wherever he has taught. Eric has taught several courses for Wonderlust, an organization "dedicated to lifelong learning in the Gallatin Valley." The participants have been unanimous in their praise of his depth and breadth of knowledge and his enthusiastic presentation. The Wonderlust course he is now teaching, "American Popular Music: a Reflection of Politics and Society," is a good example of his relating music to the humanities. In addition to his teaching, Eric has conducted fundraising concerts for restoration of the Ellen Theater, and the victims of the hurricane Katrina and the Japanese tsunami. One of his notable contributions to Montana humanities is as founder and artistic director of "11th and Grant with Eric Funk,” The Emmy-Award winning program on PBS. The program showcases Montana musical groups of all varieties to Montana audiences. His interviews with the musicians make clear the significance of music to their humanity. Read Eric Funk's humanities statement here.

Mary Murphy has been studying, publishing, and presenting Montana history all over the state since she began teaching at Montana State University-Bozeman in 1990. Her presentations on Montana history—including a talk based on her important book about the Depression in Montana, Hope in Hard Times—have been among the most frequently requested and most effective in Humanities Montana’s Speakers Bureau for many years. In 2005 Mary was selected at MSU’s Michael P. Malone Professor in History, named for the late, great historian-president at the Bozeman campus. She was chosen for her nationally-acclaimed research on western American history and for her distinguished record as a teacher and mentor. Mary’s book Hope in Hard Times: New Deal Photographs of Montana, 1936-1942 received the Montana Book Award for 2003. The book, drawing on more than 140 Farm Security Administration photographs, looks at Montana during the Great Depression. Mary also wrote Mining Cultures: Men, Women, and Leisure in Butte, 1914-41, published in 1997. She co-edited Montana Legacy: Essays on History, People, and Place, published in 2002, as well as dozens of book chapters, peer-reviewed articles and book reviews. She has lectured across the country on Western mining history, women in the West and history of the Great Depression. She has served as historical advisor on numerous films and museum exhibits. Mary has served on both the Montana Historical Society Board of Trustees and the Humanities Montana board of directors.

Chris Pinet taught at Montana State University-Bozeman for 29 years, retiring in May 2010. In the mid-80s, he served on the Humanities Montana board, and was chair for two years. He was a living embodiment of all that is best in the humanities and in our society. He was awarded the Gold Medal of Francophone Merit by the French Renaissance Society in Washington, D.C., served on the executive council of the American Association of Teachers of French and the board of directors of the Federation of French Alliances, was editor in chief of the French Review, the journal of French studies with the largest circulation in the world, and produced an array of editorials and special issues concerning the Francophone world. The French government promoted Chris to Officer in the French Order of Academic Palms. A serious academic as witnessed by the honor and prestige he brought to the foreign language department at a state college in a rural state, Chris was also accessible to all and widely loved. Chris died in November of 2011, but he richly deserves public recognition as a Humanities Hero.

Robert Rydell has devoted his professional life and much of his private life to American mass culture, how it came into being and how it has influenced the world. He chose the history of world's fairs and international expositions as his primary medium for researching and explaining how our mass culture is the product of planned public education and propaganda by business, industry, government, the professions, prominent intellectuals and the press. Robert’s book World of Fairs, was published in 1993 by the University of Chicago Press. He also co-authored Fair America; Buffalo Bill In Bologna, which The University of Chicago nominated for a Pulitzer Prize; and Designing Tomorrow. Robert is professor of history and philosophy at Montana State University and director of MSU's Humanities Institute. He helped establish the Edward O. Wilson Biodiversity Awards at MSU. His Humanities Institute and American Computer Museum at MSU brings Professor Wilson to Bozeman every two years to present the awards. Robert has been instrumental in bringing major scholars to the MSU campus, including Civil War historian James McPherson.

Jan Zauha is currently a professor and reference librarian at MSU Libraries, where she has worked since 1995. Jan's humanities efforts are seen in her current role as leader of several book groups in the Bozeman area, including two sponsored by Humanities Montana. She recently was on sabbatical and attended numerous book festivals in the United States and England, studying the impact of electronic materials on print materials. To that end she attended the National Book Festival in DC and presented at the Montana Center for the Book. She has given numerous presentations at library conferences about pulp fiction, reference work, and favorite books amongst her many topics. Jan served on the Montana Book Award Committee for four years and promoted titles selected by that committee to a variety of audiences. She also was instrumental in promoting poetry through shared programming with the Bozeman Public Library and worked to bring in state poet laureates during National Poetry Month. She currently serves on the One Book–One Bozeman committee and organizes and coordinates the Friends of the MSU Library’s book group. She is well-traveled and has given workshops in such disparate places as South Africa, Alaska, Norway, and Australia. Her enthusiasm, humor, and empathy make her respected and admired since she strives to be down-to-earth and approachable. Jan is a great representative of a humanities scholar who connects with people while reflecting on issues that concern us all.

Heroes honored on June 6, 2012 at the Western Heritage Center in Billings (more photos)

Howard Boggess is a member of the Crow Tribe with a passion for history, historic preservation, and museum work. He studies Crow history and has been a key figure in many preservation projects, including the route and stories of the Bozeman Trail, the Northern Plains largest concentration of pictographs at the Weatherman Draw, and the Lewis and Clark site Pompey's Pillar. He has also helped preserve and interpret battlefield sites with the Frontier Heritage Alliance. Boggess has been a part of the Big Horn County Historical Society in Hardin for many years and served on the Board of Directors of the Museums Association of Montana for more than a decade. His determination, enthusiasm, and desire to keep many different organizations and groups working together has brought about great results for the humanities in Montana.

Tami Haaland has had great success in the fields of poetry and teaching—she won the Nicholas Roerich Poetry Prize for her first collection of poems, Breath in Every Room, and has a new collection, When We Wake in the Night, which was a finalist for the May Swenson Award. Haaland is exceptionally generous about sharing her talents and her teaching wherever and whenever she is asked to do so. She travels to communities to offer poetry workshops and has taught creative writing classes at the Montana Women's Prison in Billings. Her classes are sought after by serious writing students. Haaland is a founder of the Yellowstone Writers Collective, which plans and sponsors readings for writers, and is involved with Stone's Throw, an online magazine she started with Russell Rowland, a Billings author. She is a board member for Aerie, a youth literary journal based in Missoula, emphasizing her commitment to all of Montana. Her online teaching for students as far away as Iran underscores her commitment to both poetry and people worldwide.

Elizabeth McNamer has devoted her life to connecting the dots with her students and the cultural, religious, artistic, and historical influences that are important for an enlightened educational experience. She is professor of religious thought and Zerek Chair at Rocky Mountain College. McNamer is devoted to mentoring and teaching and has been an advocate for art, humanities and education for decades. She served on the Institute for Peace Studies; was one of the earliest scholars involved in the excavation of Bethsaida; authors a regular column in The Billings Gazette about religion; encourages students to attend symphony and opera; provides scholarships to the Students for Academic Success, which pays for them to attend theatre at Alberta Bair; and speaks internationally on religion and religious tolerance. Read more about Elizabeth McNamer here.

Joe Medicine Crow was the first member of the Crow tribe to obtain a master's degree. He graduated from Linfield College in 1938 and obtained a master's degree in anthropology from the University of California in 1939. His thesis, "The Effects of European Culture Contact Upon the Economic, Social and Religious Life of the Crow Indians" remains the most widely read source on Crow culture. He has also written many books on Crow culture, including two children's books. While he was studying toward a doctorate degree, war broke out and he joined the Army. He became the last war chief of his tribe when he performed the four necessary acts during WWII. For his war deeds and "contributions to the preservation of the culture and history of the First Americans" and "his importance as a role model to young Native Americans across the country" he received America's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has also been awarded honorary doctorates from Rocky Mountain College in 1999 and the University of California in 2003.

Mardell Plainfeather is an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe and fluent speaker of the Crow language and a distinguished Crow/Absaalooke oral historian. A graduate of the Rocky Mountain College History program, she has been recording, researching, and sharing the history of the Crow/Absaalooke for over 30 years. She continues to be a key historian for translating and transcribing interviews with Crow Elders and historians. Plainfeather has interviewed Crow Indian Elders for Little Bighorn College, the Native Graves Protection & Repatriation Act Project and the Western Heritage Center. She organized and guided tours to the Little Bighorn Battlefield and was National Park Service Ranger at Little Bighorn Battlefield and Fort C.F. Smith for sixteen years. She was Crow Indian field director and exhibit curator for the American Indian Tribal Histories Project of the Western Heritage Center. She is presently on the roster for Humanities Montana Speakers Bureau. Through years of great energy and effort, she has served as an ambassador for Crow history by gathering and sharing hundreds of Crow Indian oral histories through translations, transcriptions, exhibits, educational programs, and publications. Read Mardell Plainfeather's humanities statement here.

Janine Pease is an enrolled member of the Crow Tribe. She was the founding president of Little Big Horn College in Crow Agency, which she guided from an abandoned gymnasium with little funding into an accredited, modern college in the 18 years she was there. She established the Crow Indian Archives to preserve records, letters, photographs, histories and research on Crow culture. She was the lead plaintiff in voting rights litigation against Big Horn County, which resulted in a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned a Montana state law that had discriminated against the voting rights of American Indians. She is currently the head of the Crow Tribe's Department of Education. Her dedication to improving educational opportunities for American Indians and preserving the culture and history of the Crow Tribe are lasting contributions to the humanities in Montana. Read Janine Pease's humanities statement here.

Ben Steele, artist and educator, fought on the front lines against the Japanese on the Bataan Peninsula, made the Bataan Death March, and survived three and one half years a prisoner of the Japanese. His World War II POW Collection of 11 oils and 82 drawings is now a part of the permanent collection of the Montana Museum of Art and Culture at the University of Montana. Ben is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art and holds degrees from Kent State University and Denver University. He worked as a Staff Director for Department of Army for seven years before returning to Montana to teach generations of Montana artists at Montana State University-Billings. He headed the Art Department and retired as Professor of Art Emeritus. Ben's Montana landscapes in oil and watercolor grace public and private collections across the country. Always a Bull Mountain boy, the most amazing thing about Ben Steele is his remarkable good humor and his joy in living every day.

Karen Stevenson consistently advocates for programs and grants in her region and is committed to supporting the humanities in eastern Montana. She was part of Humanities Montana's Speakers Bureau performing her living history presentation of Evelyn Cameron, British ex-pat, brilliant photographer of eastern Montana, and all-around eccentric for several years. Stevenson also played the silhouette actress in the MT/PBS documentary, Evelyn Cameron: Pictures from a Worthy Life. She brought Cameron's wit, oddity, and love of place to life and led audiences to a better understanding of a refined woman's life on the rough-and-tumble plains. Stevenson continued to study and champion strong women in eastern Montana through her biography Elsie Fox: Portrait of an Activist. Stevenson served on the Board of Directors of Humanities Montana for three years and brought passion and dedication to her work. Read Karen Stevenson's humanities statement here.

Heroes honored on April 21, 2012 at Carroll College in Helena (more photos)

Articles about the heroes and event can be read here, here, and here.

Ed Noonan is Executive Director of the Myrna Loy Center. His visionary arts leadership has funneled financial and logistical support to music, dance, and literature projects from the local to the national level. He supports artists in Helena through the Myrna Loy Grants to Artists program, the Helena Festival of the Book, and other grant programs that help local artists survive and grow. He also serves as adjunct theater professor at Carroll College, where he has taught for many years. He has been the producer of the Helena Theatre Company, one of the top ensemble theater companies in Montana. Noonan is also a long-time playwright, poet, and novelist. Through it all, he nurtures and mentors young people of all walks of life. Read Ed Noonan's humanities statement here.

In 1972, Betty Babcock was elected and served in the Constitutional Convention, an acknowledged special contributor. In 1974, she served in the Legislature. She authored two cookbooks; proceeds from The First Ladies' Cookbook went to the Montana Centennial Commission to help defray the cost of celebrating the territorial centennial. In the '90s, Babcock focused her volunteer efforts on the restoration of the State Capitol. By the mid '90's, the State's "Crown Jewel" had fallen into a state of disrepair and was in need of extensive exterior and interior upgrades. With Babcock at the helm, the Capitol Restoration Foundation sought to raise money for the restoration projects as well as create a general awareness about the historic importance of the "People's Place." The last few years, Betty has been working to establish new Montana Historical Society building by lobbying for legislative action. Read Betty Babcock's humanities statement here.

A great granddaughter of Mountain Chief, one of the legendary Indian leaders of the west, the late Elouise Cobell is a true heroine and known to many as the tenacious lead plaintiff in the successful suit against the federal government over the mismanagement of Indian Trust funds and for her recognition as a McArthur genius awardee. Her courage, spirit and determination were an integral part of the lawsuit and in many other initiatives which she began and then inspired others to continue. Cobell was also a valued member of the Board of Directors of the Montana Community Foundation. She made her reservation, her state, her country and the world a better place, serving as an inspiration to us all of how one person, with undying vision, courage and determination can make the difference.

Les Davis has contributed more than any other individual to the field of archaeology in Montana. Not only has he published monographs and articles, but he has always taken the time to translate archaeology for the general public through films, public presentations, and popular articles. He understands archaeology is much more than the stones and bones left behind and seeks to bring his broader understanding of the humanities into the interpretation of the artifacts. His early career focus on ethnography, working with several tribal communities in the state, no doubt contributed to this expansive view of the past. Most recently, in April, 2011, the Montana Archaeological Society honored Dr. Davis with a Lifetime Achievement Award, the only one they've ever given.

Helen and William Ballinger have been long term supporters of music, art and education in Helena. At a time when other couples have retired, packed up, and headed south, the Ballingers have continued to be active in the Helena community. They are tireless advocates of a better town. They serve as true role models for how to live an active and meaningful life.

Over the last thirty years, Barry Ferst has directed, coordinated, co-directed or consulted in at least 24 humanities events at Carroll and other locations. He has publicly presented on humanities topics at universities, colleges and other venues across the country and internationally. Ferst is tireless scholar and teacher. In addition to his book on early Christianity, Sunday School Sins, and a humorous mythology about Montana life, Montana: High Rise and Handsome, he presently has a contract for a classroom text on Islam, and is finishing a defining work on Roman sarcophagi. He has traveled to over 40 countries, driving the deserts of Syria and Jordan, and even rowing the Nile at Luxor.

Yvonne Seng has an impressive record as a scholar and public intellectual. The first non-Muslim woman allowed into the religious law archives of Istanbul, she researched the lives of 16th-century women in the time of Suleyman the Magnificent and worked as an archaeologist and a professor of Islamic Studies in Washington D.C. and Princeton. Yvonne has written widely on the history and culture of the Middle East, was a speaker at the State of the World Forum in 2000, and was named "a force for positive turbulence" by the Center for Creative Leadership. But it is in her role as Curator of Art at the Holter, Helena's contemporary art museum that Yvonne Seng has emerged as a Montana Humanities Hero. The Holter Museum has long been known for its wide-ranging exhibitions and educational programs and its commitment to exposing its audience to the art of many cultures, together with the art of Montana and our broader region. Seng was determined to provide context for the art, and in so doing, she further broadened the Holter's audience and deepened our understanding of both our regional heritage and the traditions of far distant cultures.

Bonnie Williamson is the Director of the Havre-Hill County Library in Havre and has served her community by bringing a wide variety of humanities programs and services to the area with an emphasis on quality, richness and partnership for a very long time. Due to Williamson the Havre-Hill Library has brought hundreds of programs to the Havre community—using Humanities Montana Speaker's Bureau, One Book, Reading Groups or special events liberally throughout the years. Her efforts at bringing in resources have been extremely successful; for example the NEA's Big Read program provided great opportunities for highlighting classic literature; a Gates Foundation improved library technology; and private donations helped bring new genealogical research tools to library patrons. Williamson's contributions gained her the Montana Library Association's Sheila Cates Librarian of the Year Award in 1994 and the Library of the Year Award for the Havre-Hill County Library in 1998. Read more about Bonnie Williamson here.

Heroes honored on January 26, 2012 at the Ursuline Center in Great Falls (more photos)

Norma Ashby was a longtime KRTV television personality, who after leaving the station in the 1980s kept her community profile high by her civic work that has included serving on the board of the Cascade County Historical Society Museum and establishing the state program to recognize a history teacher of the year with a ringing of the Montana Centennial Bell at the Capitol. She is a member of the Montana Broadcasters Hall of Fame. She was a founder of the Russell Art Auction and involved in many community events. She is a board member of the Greater Montana Foundation.

Jim Heckel is a retired Great Falls Public Librarian. He has long been a champion of civil liberties and civil discourse. He fought attempts by the federal government to gain access to public library checkout lists and other provisions of the Patriot Act on the grounds that they infringed on privacy. In his years in Great Falls he initiated internet connectivity and public computer use and established a foreign film program. He was a 1996 winner of the Montana Library Association's Pat Williams Intellectual Freedom Award. He has served on many local and statewide boards, including Humanities Montana, the American Civil Liberties Union of Montana, and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center Board of Directors.

George Horse Capture has devoted his life to studying, preserving, and sharing the traditional culture and heritage of Plains Indian peoples. He served as the curator of the Plains Indian Museum at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming, before joining the staff of the National Museum of the American Indian. There, Horse Capture played a central role in establishing a new home for that institution on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Horse Capture then returned to his native Montana, where he completed his lifelong effort to locate and assemble an extensive database of information on his tribe, the A'aninin Gros Ventre of Montana. He has remained active in the museum field as a consultant and board member of the Montana Historical Society.

Arlyne Riechert has been involved in numerous historic preservation projects and civic and civil discourse campaigns in Great Falls for the past 40 years. Elected to the Constitutional Convention on a unicameral legislature platform, she later served a term in the Montana Legislature (1977), where she continued the fight for a unicameral legislature. She was involved in the founding of the Great Falls Public Radio Association that brought public radio to Great Falls in 1982. In recent years she is best known for her historical preservation efforts with founding of Preservation Great Falls and her fight to prevent the demolition of the architecturally significant 10th Street Bridge. She was a long-time League of Women's Voters activist.