FROM STAFF REPORTS

The Alabama Historical Association Annual Banquet was held Friday, April 13, 2012 in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration, a recent addition to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, in Huntsville.

On behalf of the Shelby County Historical Society, Bobby Joe Seales accepted The James Ray Kuykendall Award, a local historical society recognition award. It is presented every two years and cannot be presented to the same historical society for 15 years. In 1994, the Shelby County Historical Society received this award during the term of Charles Butler as president, and then again in 2012 with Bobby Joe Seales as president.

Seales expressed his appreciation to all the members of the society that help make it such a success and especially to the officers and board of directors, many having served ever since he became President. This honor was bestowed to the entire Shelby County Historical Society.

The local historical association award was presented by Judge Robert L. Bowers of Clanton. Beverly and Bill Justice prepared and submitted the nomination application. According to Judge Bowers, in addition to Shelby County, there were two other historical societies that had been nominated, Henry County and Walker County, with Shelby County winning the nomination. Currently, the Shelby County Historical Society membership is approximately 500, and it maintains and operates the Shelby County Museum and Archives, which is located in the old courthouse in Columbiana. The society was founded Jan. 18, 1974.