At the annual meeting for the Orion Historical Society, the board recognized Alice Young as Volunteer of the Year and Maura Johnson for her work on Orion History with the Legacy Award.
The Orion Historical Society, founded in 1994, is a 501c3 organization dedicated to the preservation of Orion’s legacy. Members work hard to increase awareness of our community’s unique architectural and historical resources.
The mission of the society is to involve people to actively participate in the growth and vitality of the Orion community through preservation activities and education about Orion’s legacy.
The Society annually recognizes outstanding commitment to preservation by giving two awards.
The Legacy Award honors individuals who have contributed significantly to the preservation of Orion’s legacy for future generations. The plaque hangs in the Orion Room of the Orion Township Library and honors those who have been recognized for their contributions. Past recipients have been Mildred Schmidt, Jim Ingram, Penny Peterson, Paul Scott, Janine Saputo, Lori Brown, Leslie Pielack, Mike Sweeney and Sara Van Portfliet.
This year’s Legacy Award recognized Johnson of Mannik and Smith Group, Inc. from Ohio.
Johnson identified and catalogued over 200 historic buildings, both residential and businesses, in Orion Township which represent many styles of architecture in our community. Photos of each building, a descriptive overview of the architecture and its significance and relevant anecdotal records were collected and put into a study called the Orion Township Reconnaissance Survey.
The survey was commissioned by the Orion Township Board with the main goal of updating the Master Plan of the township for future development. Johnson donated many hours of her own time to complete this project.
The Volunteer Award goes to an OHS member who shows an outstanding commitment to furthering the goals of Orion Historical Society. Prior volunteers recognized for this award have been Mary Ellen Soroka, Sara Van Portfliet, Larry Mullins, Marc Brown, Al Barnes, Virginia Viers, Mike Sweeney, Chuck Viers, and Linda Schenburn.
This year’s Volunteer of the Year is Alice Young, OHS treasurer and Treasurer of Orion Township.
Young has been involved in many historic projects both as a volunteer and a board member including: the Union Church restoration project, the Howarth School project, Scripps Mansion Autos, Art and Architecture, historic Reconnaissance Survey, and hosting historic boat tours on Lake Orion.
The Orion Historical Society meets monthly at the Orion Senior Center on the second Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. To learn more about our organization, visit www.orionhistoricalsociety.org.