“Our Historian of the Year for 2018 is probably one of the most well-known people in this room today. He is known throughout the State, Country and probably Internationally. He doesn’t produce in depth historical nor genealogical studies; however, he does and continues to do more to “tempt” people to do so than they are willing to admit.

It starts with an idea, a suggestion…which promotes curiosity…which encourages research and interviews, that stirs more ideas…and then the creativity kicks in. The result is a show that appeals to many, many people from all walks of life and on every educational level. His magical, endearing personality gets people to talk, to share their family history, details of their special craft of hobby. He is there when history is revived, and he is there when history is about to be made…all the while, capturing and sharing these special times with us via weekly shows, a successful syndicated column, a newly released [podcast], and amazing website that houses the collection of weekly shows…just in case you’ve missed an edition…now it has taken on a life of its own.

In writing this narrative about our Historian of the Year, I visited this website to take a few notes to add to the ones I had been provided with. I thought that I would devote about 5 or 10 minutes to this search and before I knew it, I was being called down from my office as my husband had fixed LUNCH! I had been on the site for over 4 HOURS! Needless say, I learned a LOT!

It can be said that our choice has caused more people to catch this history of genealogy BUG more than any other person in NC! He may not have written a book, but he has been the inspiration behind many that have been written. He may not have physically taken us to the places he has been to, but he has encouraged us to visit these special places in NC that we didn’t know existed until he made us aware of them. He has brought hobbies, paces of interest, and special people to the forefront that we had never heard of…in other words, he has opened up a whole new world for many people who are not satisfied with just watching something on television…they want to see these places and meet these people in person. NC history has taken on a new meaning to many throughout this man’s exhausting efforts and we appreciate him so much that we would like to honor him by choosing him as our 2018 North Carolina SOCIETY OF HISTORIANS, HISTORIAN OF THE YEAR.”

`-Elizabeth Bray Sherrill, President of the North Carolina Society of Historians (NCSH), Inc.