The Wyoming Historical Society announces recipients of its 2010 Lola Homsher research grants. The committee selected eleven applicants who will receive a total of $7,200 for their individual research projects.  Chairman Mary Kelley said the Homsher Grant program is one of the most important ways the Society reaches out to the public and makes an impact on preserving Wyoming’s wonderful history.  Anyone doing research about Wyoming that will result in a tangible project is eligible to apply for the research grants.  Kelley said this applies to members and non-members alike, amateur and professional historians, and students.  For details visit www.wyshs.org.

This year’s Homsher recipients are: 

• Melanie O’Hare of Laramie, received $500.00 for her project titled “Wyoming Outhouses and the Folks Who Built Them.”  Melanie’s research will result in a book of the same title.
• Robert Roth, a retired journalism teacher from Laramie, received $300.00 for his ongoing project about the Laramie High School News Bureau.  Robert’s work will result in a permanent record of the students’ work.
• Tamsen Hert of Laramie, received $1,000 for her project titled “Touring Yellowstone: What to Wear?”  Tamsen is an expert on the history of Yellowstone and the grant will allow her to conduct research at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California.
• Patricia Kessler of Laramie received $400 for her work locate historical records that serve to support the value of collections held at the Arapaho Cultural Museum.
• Nancy Weidel of Laramie received $1,000 for her project titled “Christmas in Wyoming.”  For part of her research, Nancy will interview individuals willing to share their holiday memories and traditions.
• Marvin Cronberg of Medicine Bow received $1,000 to complete research about the history of Medicine Bow.
• Lynn Houze of Cody received $500 for her project titled “Cody: Then and Now.”  Her work will result in a photograph history about the town of Cody and the surrounding area.
• Norma Williamson, director of the Dubois Museum, received $500.00 to finalize research documenting, recording and preserving information about the early trails and roads of the Upper Wind River Valley.
• Ruth Quinn of Yellowstone National Park received $500.00 for her project titled “Helen Gould’s Visit to Yellowstone.”  A philanthropist, Gould was the daughter or railroad magnate Jay Could.  She visited Yellowstone in 1899.
• Dr. Elizabeth Esterchild of Dallas, Texas received $1,000 that will assist her in finishing research and publication of a book titled “From Nowood to Ten Sleep: Gender, Generations and Ranching in a Wyoming Community.”
•  Kimberly Peterson of Fredericksburg, Virginia, received $500.00 for her oral history project titled “Wyoming’s Can Do Spirit.  A Wyoming native, Kimberly’s work will focus on those individuals who lived in Casper and Cheyenne during the early 1940s.

In addition to receiving research funds, each recipient receives a complimentary membership in the Wyoming Historical Society.  Benefits include receiving the Society’s scholarly journal, Annals of Wyoming, and the monthly newsletter, Wyoming History News.  The Lola Homsher Grant is made possible from the endowment that prominent Wyoming historian Lola Homsher created for the purpose of promoting the research of Wyoming history.  The application process for next round of grants will begin in December.  To learn more about the Lola Homsher Research Grant Program, or other aspects of the Wyoming Historical Society, visit the website at www.wyshs.org or contact executive secretary Linda Fabian at 307-322-4237 or linda@dancewyoming.com.