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• January 13: the director presented a lecture to 5 Mercy Skilled Nursing patients.
• January 14: two representatives from the University of Scranton's Royal Historical Society met with the director to discuss how the group could become active volunteers. We hope to get some projects started in March.
• January 16: 12 boy scouts attended the Heritage Badge program at the Catlin House which included a tour of the building and a lecture on local National Register properties.
• February 5: 12 students from University of Scranton Journalism class taught by Kim Pazlick visited the Catlin House to learn about our library collections. The students will next complete an assignment to write a short piece on a local community.
• February 9: at 11 am, the Society hosted a Members-Only tour of Avanti Cigars, 20 people attended. Special thanks to Dom Keating and Anthony Suraci for leading the tours.

Volunteers

Alan Sweeney Hall	Former LHS President Alan Sweeney was honored on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, by the naming of the "Alan Sweeney Hall," part of the local Civil War museum run by the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Association of Scranton in the basement of City Hall. Mayor Chris Doherty praised Alan for his selfless dedication to promoting historic preservation and other community causes. Following the ceremony, Mayor Doherty, the Sweeney family and guests walked to The Scranton Club for a reception featuring a speech by Cheryl Kashuba, who praised the man she described as "a mentor and a true friend."
Ellie Axford	Ellie Axford was named “Volunteer of the Year” for 2009. Some of the highlights of her service to the community have included serving as a member of the Board of Directors of the Voluntary Action Center, where she started their Holiday Emporium annual fundraiser, a member of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) and has served on the board of St. Francis of Assisi Kitchen. She also volunteers at CMC’s GI Lab on a regular basis and has been a member of The University of Scranton's Department of Nursing curriculum committee. She first joined the LHS in 1998 and two years later she joined the Board, leading some of our most successful fundraising events including the What's It Worth antique appraisal show, the Taste of History and the extremely popular Historic Hill House Tour, which raised over $14,000 this year.
2009 Class of Docents	On Wednesday, April 30, 2009, a new cadre of docents became available for tours of the Catlin House. Each presented a sample tour of one room to demonstrate what was learned in the four evening sessions. Mary Ann Moran Savakinus, the Executive Director who supervised the training is peeking from the stairway. From left to right are Bob Booth, Marnie Azzarelli, Donna Adler, Juliana Piccini, Dennis Martin, Sharleen Martin, and Jenn Mahalidge. Unable to attend but having completed the training were Trisha Kennedy and Chrissy Grunza.
Dennis and Sharleen Martin	Dennis and Sharleen Martin were among those named as Happenings Magazine Volunteers of the Year 2009 in their April 2009 issue. Nominated by the Historical Society, they were cited, among other activities, for the exhibits they have created (the introduction to last year’s Three Generations in Hyde Park is illustrated and the article written by them in the monthly newsletter can be read here) including the current exhibit at the Catlin House on the International Correspondence School. They volunteer in Collections Management with Ella Rayburn cataloging artifacts.
Alan Sweeney	The Society did not designate a Volunteer of the Year for 2008 as Alan Sweeney fit the description so well. Alan had been President of the Society for a decade, contributing extensive amounts of his time both on the Board of Trustees and as a volunteer researcher, writing several articles for the newsletter. At the 2008 Annual Dinner, he received a special presentation from the Lackawanna Valley Heritage Authority as a local recognition to accompany the Individual Leadership Award that he received from the Pennsylvania Federation of Museums and Historical Organizations on October 28. Alan had also been the Society's Volunteer of the Year in 2004. On December 5, we lost a dear friend and priceless leader with his passing.
Ella Rayburn	Ella Rayburn was named “Volunteer of the Year” for 2007. She is retired from the National Park Service where her most recent posting was Curator at Steamtown National Historic Site from 1990 to 2004. She has been an active volunteer at the Society for over a decade, serving on the Board of Trustees as well as chairing the Collections Committee. As a volunteer, her major interest is in managing the collection. Ella is also on the Board of the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority which is dedicated to the development of the region's historic, cultural, economic, and natural resources through preservation, education and promotion of our heritage. In her spare time, she is writing a history of her church, the Trinity Congregation Church.

Trustees