SHERBURNE – After ten years as the Sherburne Town Historian, and three years of helping to chose the recipient of the annual Citizen of the Year award, Rose Wellman has been named the 2007 Sherburne Citizen of the Year.
The fourth annual Sherburne Citizen of the Year Award Program will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the American Legion on South Main Street in Sherburne. After retiring only a few months ago from her position as the Sherburne Town Historian, Wellman was chosen for the award due to her service to the community.
“I have written and given this award for the past three years to others and was surprised and honored to have it come back to me – to blow my own horn. It is a great honor to be chosen and have my name put on the plaque to be hung in our log cabin in the Historic Park,” Wellman said.
Wellman served in the position of town historian for ten years, before her recent decision to retire. During her time as historian, Wellman did extensive work with genealogy and family history and has been “keeper of the books” for the family reunion for many years. She was one of a few persons instrumental in getting the Historic Park concept up and running in 2001 and also in forming the Historic Society in 2003.
In addition to her normal duties, Wellman has written a history column for the Sherburne News every week for the past ten years, as well as assisted Patricia Scott with her “In the House of the Lord” church columns, concerning the Sherburne church history. Wellman has written several books on local history — two in connection with her membership in the Quincy Square Museum, in Earlville, her hometown, including “The Story of the Low-Down Wagon” and “The Story of the Earlville Opera house.” She has also started a series of books about Sherburne history — “In the Land of the Bullthistle.” Book one was written in 2004, and Wellman hopes to continue with book two, which will be based on her “Do You Remember” articles from the Sherburne News, this year. Wellman has presented many historical programs for the public over the years for both the Sherburne and Earlville areas.
She is also active in the James Madison Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. In her retirement she hopes to spend more time on family history, but she will continue to help the new town historian, Chris Henschel.
“I have been doubly blessed the last two months, with this and also being chosen as Grand Marshall for the Christmas Parade. Everything I have done in connection with my position as Town Historian has been a labor of love and I have enjoyed every minute of it. I have made many new friends and learned a lot about our area history and what it means to all of us,” Wellman said.
The retired town historian invites all of her friends to come and help her celebrate the honor she has been given — after so many years of recognizing others achievements with this prestigious award, it has come full circle back to her.