IAHS Bob Smith (left), Idyllwild Area Historic Society treasurer, accepts the award from Chuck Wilson (right), University Archivist at University of California, Riverside.
The esteemed Idyllwild Area Historic Society (IAHS) has received another statewide award. At the annual conference for the California Council for he Promotion of History (CCPH) in Riverside last week, IAHS received the Council’s 2011 Dave Byrd Award for Meritorious Performance.

The award is granted for outstanding contributions to the promotion of history. This year, CCPH recognized IAHS for “its consolidation of historical resources, development of a public presence, and ever-growing promotion of the area’s rich history.”

The awards committee expressed admiration for IAHS as “one historical society that does things right” by gathering and protecting a substantial collection of archive materials and other artifacts; by building a high-quality facility to preserve them; by aspiring to professional standards of operation; by effectively reaching out to residents and visitors through its museum, publications, and special events; and by maintaining a strong financial position for achieving its goals, thanks to a large and loyal membership.

In 2010, the annual Archive Appreciation Award of the California Society of Archivists was bestowed on IAHS.

In a press release, the IAHS board of directors stated its pride in its accomplishments as an all-volunteer organization and its gratification in having professional colleagues from throughout California validate its efforts in this way.

The CCPH, founded in 1977, is a statewide professional organization of historians, curators, archaeologists, interpreters, archivists, preservationists, and members of historical organizations. It represents almost every area of historical activity in California: government agencies, businesses, archives, local historical societies, museums, private consulting, and colleges and universities, and other educational institutions.