Athens, Ga., November 26, 2018 - The Georgia Historical Society has selected Drew Swanson as the inaugural winner of the John Inscoe Award for his article “From Georgia to California and Back: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Southern Gold Mining,” published in the Georgia Historical Quarterly in 2016.
 
The Inscoe Award was established this year to honor Dr. John Inscoe, the Albert B. Saye Professor of History at the University of Georgia and editor of the Georgia Historical Quarterly from 1989 to 2000. Under John’s leadership the Quarterly featured the latest in cutting-edge scholarship propelling it into an elite circle of scholarly journals worldwide. His editorship of the New Georgia Encyclopedia provided a national model and set the standard for online educational resources for the twenty-first century. He is also an award-winning teacher and scholar at the University of Georgia where he has served for more than thirty years. In 2016 the Georgia Historical Society honored John with the John McPerson Berrien Award for lifetime achievement in and service to Georgia history.
 
The award is made possible by an endowment fund (in progress) created through contributions from friends and admirers of John Inscoe. The endowment honors John’s life, work, and legacy and provides funds for a cash prize for the Inscoe Award recipient. Donations toward the endowment are ongoing.

Drew Swanson is Associate Professor of History at Wright State University, where he coordinates graduate studies, directs the public history concentration, and teaches classes in American, environmental, food, and 19th century history. Born in rural Virginia, he is a graduate of the University of Georgia and worked as a farmer, zookeeper, and natural resource manager before turning to academia.
 
Published continuously since 1917, The Georgia Historical Quarterly is one of the premier state historical journals in the United States, published by the Georgia Historical Society. The GHQ features the finest scholarly articles on Georgia history, book reviews covering all aspects of southern and Georgia history, edited primary sources, oral histories, and essays by and about contemporary history-makers.

The award will be presented at a ceremony at the Athens Country Club on November 27 at 5:30 p.m. The media is invited to attend.
 
What:     Presentation of the John Inscoe Award to Dr. Drew Swanson
When:    Tuesday, November 27, 2018, 5:30 p.m.
Where:   The Athens Country Club
             2700 Jefferson Rd, Athens, GA 30607

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ABOUT GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.