The People's Records: Celebrating 50 Years at the New York State Archives

Tuesday, October 26
12:30 p.m.

About The speakers

Former New York State Assistant Education Commissioner/New York State Archivist V. Chapman Smith is now retired after over 30 years of executive leadership in organizational capacity building after working in the private and public sectors. She left New York State to serves as National Archives Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator and spearheaded a number of public history initiatives. She also served as Chair of the Philadelphia Federal Executive Board.  Her work included the erection of the first public monument in Philadelphia at City Hall to honor an African American 19^th Century Civil Rights leader, O.V. Catto, along with a year-long education initiative for the Philadelphia School District to study his legacy. In her retirement she volunteers her time as a civil rights and social public historian.  Among these, she serves as a project manager to preserve the historical assets of Eden Cemetery, a national historic site and the oldest continuously operating African American cemetery company in the U.S. and on the board of Eastern State Penitentiary Historical Site, a site dedicated to interpreting the legacy of American criminal justice reform. In addition, she served as an advisor to the American Philosophical Society's current Ben Franklin exhibit, Citizen Scientist.

Larry J. Hackman was the second New York State Archivist, serving from 1981 until 1995. A native of Missouri, Larry was the first director of the Records Grant program of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the grant-making arm of the National Archives. Larry has held leadership positions at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and was director of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence Missouri until 2000.

Larry is a distinguished fellow of the Society of American Archivists, has chaired the program committee for the society’s annual meeting and has served on its board. He has also servced on the boards of directors of many organizations including the National Council on Public History, the Research Libraries Group and the Rockefeller Archive Center. Larry currently lives in the Boston area.

Christine W. Ward received a BA in History from Russell Sage College in 1971 and an MLS from SUNY Albany in 1975. She worked for 33 years at the New York State Archives and, after serving as Acting State Archivist for two years, was appointed Assistant Education Commissioner and New York State Archivist in 2003. Ward was also CEO of the Archives Partnership Trust. During her career, she wrote and lectured extensively on management and leadership of cultural institutions, served on numerous professional and national committees, and garnered several awards including the Women of Influence Award from Russell Sage College in 2009 and the Distinguished Public Service Award from the University at Albany in 2006. She was a fellow of the Society of American Archivists and an officer of the Council of State Archivists as well as a Fellow of the College of Arts & Sciences at the University at Albany and a Fellow of the New York Academy of History. She has served on the Brunswick (NY) Board of Education and the Brunswick Community Library Board of Trustees and is currently serving on the Boards of the Archives Partnership Trust, Hart Cluett Museum and Russell Sage Colllege.

Edward LaRue Weldon was the first New York State Archivist, serving from 1974 until 1980. A native of Florida, Ed has also served in leadership positions with the US National Archives, and was the director of the Georgia Department of Archives and History.

Ed is a distinguished fellow of the Society of American Archivists, served as editor of The American Archivist, the journal of the society and is a past president and board member of the society. Ed currently lives in Cahoon, Georgia with his wife Jane.

More Event Details

A direct link and password to digital meeting space will be emailed to all registrants ahead of time. Contact aptrust@nysed.gov with questions or in need of assistance.