Kent Whitworth, Director and CEO of the Minnesota Historical Society: Update on Minnesota Historical SocietyKent Whitworth, director and CEO of the Minnesota Historical Society, provided an update on the organization’s work and impact when he spoke to the Eden Prairie A.M. Rotary Club on June 4. Kent comes to MHS from the Kentucky Historical Society, where he was executive director, but explained that his mom is a third-generation Minnesotan so his roots here are strong. He covered some of the exhibits, programs, curriculum, partnerships, and heritage preservation of the Minnesota Historical Society and urged everyone to take advantage of the state’s more than two dozen historical sites, including the Twin Cities’ own Fort Snelling at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers because it holds so many interesting stories beyond being a military installation. He’s also a big proponent of National History Day, a school program that typically involves about 25,000 students each year as they taken on the challenge of researching and telling an important history lesson. Minnesota often boasts national winners in this program. |