Brookside Museum hosting 2nd annual Public History Awards
The trustees and staff of the Saratoga County History Center have announced the second annual Saratoga County Public History Award ceremony and gala. The event will be on April 13 starting at 7 pm, at the Brookside Museum.
The 2022 winners of the Public History Awards, to be honored at the ceremony, are Paul Perrault and Charlie Kuenzel. They were selected by a special committee of local historians and educators who met throughout the fall months. The committee included the inaugural winners, Carol Godette and Jim Richmond, as well as Dr. Julia Blackwelder (Texas A & M University), Ellie Dillon (National Bottle Museum), and Dr. Michael Landis (Saratoga County History Center).
The event was originally slated for December 2022, but was pushed back due to the renovations at the Brookside mansion. The success of the “Preserve the Porch” and “Finish the Job” fundraising campaigns have allowed History Center trustees to move forward on critical infrastructure improvements and innovative new exhibits. The April gala will be both a celebration of the award winners and a preview of the May re-opening of the beloved museum.
Perrault taught history at Shenendehowa High School, 1967-1975, and then served as Principal of Ballston Spa High School, 1978-1998. Now retired, he continues to pursue his passion for history by working as the Malta Town Historian, where he spends his time documenting that town’s past. In addition, Perrault is the editor of (and frequent contributor to) The Gristmill, a local periodical of note, and often gives public talks on local and regional history. He is best known for his gracious personality and expertise on Luther Forest and the Malta GE test station.
Kuenzel is a retired Earth Science teacher who began his career at Saratoga High School. In early 2000, he began taking other teachers on after-school walking tours to educate them on geology and the origins of the Spa City’s famous spring water. After his retirement in 2010, Mr. Kuenzel embraced history full time and devoted himself to research and serving on the board of the Saratoga Springs History Museum, where he diversified programming and forged partnerships with other Saratoga non-profits.
He has co-authored two books on local history, has written a popular historical column for the Simply Saratoga magazine for the past twelve years, and has interacted with thousands of tourists and locals through public lectures, living history events, and tours.