2024 AHS History Awards
In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the Alexandria Historical Society, King's Jewelers very generously donated this years silver awards.
For 40 years AHS has honored those who have made noteworthy contributions to the preservation of Alexandria’s historic heritage. Once again AHS conferred three different types of awards:
T. MICHAEL MILLER ALEXANDRIA HISTORY AWARD Named in honor of the City’s most prolific research historian and given to those who have similarly dedicated their time and energy to uncovering and sharing local history.
AHS SPECIAL MERIT AWARD Bestowed in recognition of notable contributions to the Society and Alexandria history.
ALEXANDRIA HIGH SCHOOL HISTORY AWARDS One outstanding history student from each of Alexandria's four high schools is given this award for academic achievement and scholarship in American history, as well as their awareness of the role history plays today. Winners are chosen by their teachers.
Nominations for the Miller and Special Merit Awards were accepted from the public in early 2024. A panel of local history experts chose the awardees. This year's panel included:
Scott Vierick, Committee Chair
Dr. Brenda Mitchell-Powell
Patricia Walker
Catherine Weinraub
AHS Award Committee Chairs and Awardees
John H. Sprinkle, Jr., Ph.D. – T. Michael Miller Award
A historian who worked for the National Park Service for many years John now teaches at the University of Maryland. His three books discuss the history of the American historic preservation movement and have served as valuable resources for citizens, civic servants, public officials, and students. An Alexandria resident since 1997, he has served on the Alexandria Historical Restoration and Preservation Commission, the Board of Architectural Review, and the Historic Alexandria Foundation. In 2022, he served as the treasurer of the Alexandria Historical Society. John holds a Ph.D. in American history and an M.A. in historical archaeology from the College of William and Mary.
(Dr. Eleanor Breen, City Archaeologist, accepted the award for John.)
Amy Bertsch – T. Michael Miller Award
A researcher, writer, communicator, and teacher of preservation and local history, Amy has been an Alexandria civil servant since 1996. She currently works for the Alexandria Sheriff’s Office and has previously worked for the Office of Historic Alexandria. Bertsch continues to conduct research for various City of Alexandria departments and has also taught classes at Northern Virginia Community College. She is a former Alexandria Historical Society board member and edited the society’s newsletter for several years. She graduated with a B.A. in Foreign Languages, focusing on Spanish from West Virginia University. She later received a M.A. in History from Sam Houston State University, specializing in 19th/20th century African American and American Southern fields, and she has earned a certificate in historic preservation from Northern Virginia Community College.
Dr. Abby Schreiber – Special Merit Award
An independent historian currently under contract to research the history of Alexandria's waterfront. Through meticulous mining of primary sources, Dr. Schreiber has compiled a founda-tional historic record poised to serve future generations of historians studying Alexandria. In her report, Dr. Schreiber addresses pivotal topics such as women and property ownership, the lives and work of free and enslaved African Americans, and the development of the city’s waterfront. She has also created an accessible StoryMap version of the Waterfront Documentary Study report, further connecting the public to her findings. Dr. Schreiber holds a Ph.D. in Early U.S. History from The Ohio State University, an M.A. in American Material Culture from the University of Delaware, and a B.A. in Anthropology and History from Johns Hopkins University.
High School History Awardees
Besides individually-engraved silver Jefferson Cups, each student was also awarded a $250 scholarship to help with their continuing educational goals.
William Lacey: Alexandria City High School, Class of 2025 (Teacher: Tracy Ford)
Charlotte Rayder: Bishop Ireton High School, Class of 2024 (Teacher: Marie Markussen)
Duke Shackelford: Episcopal High School, Class of 2025 (Teacher: Michael Reynolds)
Cate Nickson: St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes Upper School, Class of 2025 (Teacher: David Hillinck)
PANEL DISCUSSION
The Value of a History Degree Today
Three people with history degrees, discussed how they used their degrees and what they expect the future will hold for history majors. The recording of this event will be posted as soon as it becomes available.
Michael Johnson, City of Alexandria, Department of Recreation & Cultural Activities (2023 AHS History Awardee)
Alex Lothstein, Intelligence Analyst at TeamWorx Security (formerly associate curator, Maryland Center for History and Culture)
Finnley Rocca, Historian for History Associates, Inc.
Alex Lothstein Michael Johnson Finnley Rocca