The Genealogical Institute on Federal Research Alumni Association (Gen-Fed Alumni) announces, with great pleasure, the recipient of the Richard S. Lackey Scholarship for 2017, Nancy Calhoun. Awarded yearly, this scholarship covers tuition and some other expenses for the week long seminar, the Genealogical Institute on Federal Records (Gen-Fed). The scholarship application specifies an “experienced researcher employed in a paid or volunteer position in the services of the genealogical community.”
Nancy Calhoun is the Department Head of Genealogy and Local History at Muskogee Public Library in Muskogee, Oklahoma, where the staff provides research assistance with particular focus on Native American genealogy. She frequently speaks for societies and other groups in Oklahoma, Arkansas and Texas, often in period dress and with baked goods in hand made from historic recipes. Her writings have placed in the annual contests held by the International Association of Family History Writers and Editors. She was the recipient of the librarian scholarship to attend IGHR.
Nancy’s genealogy journey began at her grandfather’s knee as he told stories of his family in southwest Virginia. While in Teacher Corps and graduate school in Kansas, she enrolled in a semester long genealogy class and has been chasing family, both her own and others’, since that time. For Nancy, genealogy is the “perfect combination” with her educational training in history, English, photography, vocational home economics, curriculum and instruction and 20 years of newspaper experience.
Nancy has attended several NGS and FGS national conferences, in addition to many regional educational events. “My last trip to DC was during college and before catching the genealogy bug. So I am excited to have the opportunity to delve into the mother lode this summer and learn how to access records for our library patrons from Revolutionary War to Indian Territory’s tribal records … and maybe a little for myself.”
The Gen-Fed Alumni Association is pleased to award the 2017 Richard Lackey Scholarship to Nancy Calhoun; her enthusiasm is catching.
Registration for Gen-Fed took place on Saturday, February 25. Enrollment is currently at capacity but the waiting list is open here.