By Kendall Wiggin
(c) Connecticut Explored Inc., Fall 2022
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Welcome to our 20th anniversary special issue. As the newly elected board president of Connecticut Explored, Inc., I am honored to shepherd this organization that I have long admired into its future.
I am excited to announce that Dr. Kathy Hermes, public historian and recently retired professor of history at Central Connecticut State University, has been appointed executive director and publisher. She takes over from founding publisher Elizabeth Normen, who is retiring after leading the organization for the past 20 years. The prestige that the organization and the magazine now enjoy are directly related to Elizabeth’s leadership and quest for excellence in scholarship, editing, and design. And to think she has done all this gratis!
20 for 20: Innovation in Connecticut History
To celebrate this important milestone, we decided to look toward the future of Connecticut history. With support from CT Humanities, we appointed an advisory team to help us select 20 innovative people and projects who are advancing our understanding of Connecticut’s past. We will be celebrating these history game changers over the next three issues. Turn to our special section, starting on page 20, to find out who we’ve selected and how you’ll be learning more about them this year.
The Fund for Excellence in Publishing
As we celebrate, we are also cognizant of steep challenges. We’ve been hit with two cost hikes in printing of the magazine due to supply-chain issues with paper. We are compensating our executive director and publisher for the first time in 20 years. We will be relying on our Friends more than ever. Your loyal support has brought us here, and we hope it will carry us forward.
Please join me in making a generous gift to our 20th-anniversary Friends campaign, The Fund for Excellence in Publishing. Gifts to The Fund recognize the excellent stewardship of Elizabeth and assistant publisher Mary Donohue, both retiring this fall, the excellence in design by 20-year art director John Alves and editing by 17-year editor Jennifer LaRue, who are both continuing with the magazine, and show our new publisher, Kathy, that we have her back. The Fund will help ensure our continuing excellence in scholarship, editing, and design. The Board has set an ambitious $100,000 goal.
I invite you, our readers, subscribers, and Friends, to make a generous donation to The Fund to celebrate 20 years of publication. If you are a current donor, we thank you and ask that you stretch and even double your gift this year. If you’re a first-time donor, please consider a $200 gift or more for our 20th year! Find details about how to make a gift on page 10. We appreciate your support and look forward to having you with us as we embark on our next 20 years!
Ken Wiggin is President of the Board of Connecticut Explored and Chief Librarian Emeritus of Connecticut State Library.
Connecticut Explored uncovers the state’s cultural heritage with the aim of revealing connections between our past, present, and future. For stories from our back issues visit ctexplored.org.
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