3 minute read
From the Chair
From the Chair
I couldn’t be more honored to serve as Chair of Historic New England at this time of momentum, as dynamic new initiatives are propelling our organization in expansive, deeply meaningful, and exciting ways. Recovering New England’s Voices, our organization-wide historical research effort, is building, introducing, and sharing fully inclusive stories at our sites, and our bold new initiative to reimagine our collections storage facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts – to become the Historic New England Center for Preservation and Collections, a “living archive” for our members and the public – are just two of many initiatives underway to strengthen our public role and civic impact.
This issue of Historic New England magazine demonstrates the diversity and cross-disciplinary nature of our organization, including a section with highlights from the first Historic New England Summit, where more than 600 leading voices came together from preservation, conservation, education, the arts, and philanthropy to share information and experience. It was a thrilling event, fostering the importance of working together for enhanced livability and sustainability in our region. And this year, we’ll be holding our second annual Summit in Providence, Rhode Island, on November 2 and 3, and I look forward to seeing you all there.
Private citizens, committing time and resources, have been the drivers of the preservation movement from the beginning, and this was certainly true of Historic New England’s own founding as one of the nation's first preservation organizations led by William Sumner Appleton, a preservation catalyst ahead of his time. Strong, effective leadership is indeed a tradition at Historic New England. I want to thank my predecessor, David A. Martland, who held the position of Chair with great distinction for six years, successfully leading the organization during a time of both progress and pandemic, and onboarding our new President and CEO Vin Cipolla in the summer of 2020. Vin has brought vision, experience, and execution to our organization that is transforming our work at every level.
Dave and Vin, our trustees, advisors and council, dedicated staff, and all of you are the heart and energy of all the dynamic work underway, making a difference for our region and the communities we call home. In just a few days on March 11, we’ll celebrate the civic and philanthropic leadership of two members of our community who’ve been devoted to preservation and our region’s cultural fabric in truly profound ways – 2023 Historic New England Medal honorees Janina A. Longtine MD and Peter S. Lynch. I hope to see many of you at our extraordinary medal gala at Boston’s historic Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.
Thank you for your commitment to Historic New England and to the history and health of our remarkable region. It’s your commitment and confidence in us that keep Historic New England at the forefront of preservation practice, innovation, outreach, and storytelling. I look forward to sharing our achievements and our story with you in the months to come.
Deborah L. Allinson Chair
HISTORIC NEW ENGLAND magazine is a benefit of membership. To become a member, visit HistoricNewEngland.org or call 617-994-5910. Comments? Email Info@HistoricNewEngland.org. Historic New England is funded in part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
