Meeting Old Friends, Making New Ones
I have just returned from the annual conference of the American Association for State and Local History in Austin, Texas. I left on September 6 and cut my trip short, flying back the night of Sept. 8 due to the uncertain trajectory of Hurricane Irma. I saw a number of old friends and it was great to make new ones.
My regret was due to Irma’s threat, I didn’t get a chance to catch some of the great music in Austin. Antone’s and the Continental Club are two of the great blues clubs in the nation, places where a who’s who of blues greats have played, and as legend has it, where Stevie Ray Vaughan, one of the best blues guitarists of all time, was invited as a young guitarist to join Albert King on the stage and wowed him. Also, I didn’t get to go to the Broken Spoke, a great dance place which I’d enjoyed on two previous visits. No matter your talents, anyone can dance there, and the live bands make it happen.
I did get to see a number of friends. The pictures here are just a sample. It was a pleasure to see my essay, entitled “Building Bridges through Local History,” published in AASLH’s new edition of its Encyclopedia of History. Amy Wilson, editor, was there, and I had enjoyed working with her.
L-R: Me, Amy Wilson, editor of the AASLH Encyclopedia of Local History, and John Dichtl, president of AASLH.
L-R: Me, Sandra Smith, and longtime friend and colleague Max Van Balgooy of Engaging Places. Max and I have co-presented at many AASLH conferences over the years.
A noted speaker on the topic of Community Engagement, Max Van Balgooy’s session drew a standing-room-only crowd.
L-R, George W. McDaniel, Session Chair Sean E. Sawyer, Olana Partnership, and Lonnie Bunch, director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
L-R: It was great catching up with Doug Evelyn, former deputy director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian; Liz Alston, a trustee and long-time member of Charleston’s Mother Emanuel AME Church; and Michelle Banks, vice president of the board of the Los Angeles African American Fire Fighters Museum.
It was fun to introduce my Charleston friends, Liz Alston and Carol Poplin, who were participating with me in the Emanuel session, to my AASLH friends. You’ll see Liz, Carol, and me with my friend Lonnie Bunch, director of the new National Museum of African American History and Culture.
L-R at the conference: Carol Poplin, director of HW Exhibits, me, Elizabeth Alston, a trustee and long-time member of Mother Emanuel AME, and Lonnie Bunch, director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
The conference was much enjoyed (you can read more about it here), and it remains a pleasure to see friends you’ve known for decades, many of whom are still young at heart.
George W. McDaniel, Ph.D., is President of McDaniel Consulting, LLC, a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and to its broader constituents. The company’s tag line, “Building Bridges through History,” is grounded in McDaniel’s personal beliefs and his experience in site management, preservation, education, board development, fundraising, and community outreach. Rather than using history to divide us, he strives to help organizations use history, especially local history, to enhance cross-cultural understanding and to support local museums, preservation, and education. Dr. McDaniel recently led volunteer efforts with Emanuel AME Church and historical organizations in Charleston to use historic preservation to enhance racial reconciliation and healing.
McDaniel is also the Executive Director Emeritus of Drayton Hall, a historic site in Charleston, SC, owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He retired from Drayton Hall in 2015 after 25 years of distinguished service.
Header Image Photo Credit: The American Association for State and Local History
McDaniel Consulting LLC is a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and its broader constituents.