JACKSON, Wyo. — Katherine Wonson was recently honored at the Preserve Wyoming Conference for her dedication to historic preservation.
The Albany County Historic Preservation Board, the Alliance for Historic Wyoming and the State Historic Preservation Office hosted the conference for the first time since 2016 in Laramie, Wyoming.
Wonson is the Director of the Western Center for Historic Preservation at Grand Teton National Park and the founder of the Teton Trust for Historic Places. She served on the Teton County Historic Preservation Board for 12 years and was instrumental in the rehabilitation of the historic White Grass Dude Ranch, Jackson’s third oldest dude ranch, established in 1913. Katherine received her master’s degree from Columbia University in Historic Preservation in 2008 and an advanced certificate from the University of Pennsylvania in 2011.
The Teton County Historic Preservation Board nominated her for the award.
According to the State Historic Preservation Office, the conference aims to provide education and resources such as effective civic engagement strategies, historic site recording and an overview of the statewide historic preservation plan.
Wonson was honored during the awards banquet, along with three other individuals and two institutions.
Eric Sandeen, of Laramie Wyoming, was honored for his commitment to historic preservation in Laramie. He was the director of the American Studies program at the University of Wyoming (UW) and was the founding director of the Wyoming Institute for Humanities Research. He also serves on the Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation board of directors and is a member of the Albany County Historic Preservation Board.
Jon Conrad, Wyoming Representative from Evanston, was nominated by the Evanston Historic Preservation Commission for his commitment to delaying the demolition of the historic State Hospital Campus in Evanston.
The Alliance for Historic Wyoming nominated Mary Humstone, who has over 40 years of experience in historic preservation in Wyoming. In the 1990s, she worked for the National Trust for Historic Preservation, where her well-known “Barn Again!” campaign began. She was a professor in the American Studies program at UW and was one of the founding members of the Alliance for Historic Wyoming.
Two Laramie institutions received awards; the Laramie Railroad Depot and the Lincoln Community Center for their dedication to fostering the relationship between community spaces and historic preservation.
