Ellis wins 2012 Kentucky Historical Society Award for book on state’s education history

University Press of Kentucky author William E. Ellis was selected as the recipient of a 2012 Kentucky History Award given by the Kentucky Historical Society for his book, A History of Education in Kentucky. The Kentucky Historical Society recognizes publications in five categories each year, categorizing them by budget size.
 

Ellis received his award in category E (for projects with the largest budget) in recognition of his exemplary historical publication. The Kentucky History Awards recognize outstanding achievements by historians, public history professionals, volunteers, business and civic leaders, communities, and historical organizations throughout the Commonwealth. The Kentucky Historical Society encourages organizations, individuals and communities across the state to nominate deserving projects and individuals for their efforts to promote the preservation, awareness, and appreciation of state and local history.
 

The awards ceremony will immediately follow the Kentucky Historical Society Annual Meeting at the Old State Capitol in Frankfort on Friday, Nov. 9 at 5:30 pm. The Kentucky History Awards ceremony is free and open to the public, but reservations are required by Friday, Nov. 2. Contact Julia Curry at julia.curry@ky.gov or 502-564-1792, ext. 4414, or click here for more information.
 

In A History of Education in Kentucky, William E. Ellis illuminates the successes and failures of public and private education in the Commonwealth since its settlement. Ellis demonstrates how political leaders in the nineteenth century created a culture that devalued public education and refused to adequately fund it. He also analyzes efforts by teachers and policy makers to enact vital reforms and establish adequate, equal education, and discusses ongoing battles related to religious instruction, integration, and the Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA). William E. Ellis, Foundation Professor Emeritus at Eastern Kentucky University, is the author of several books, including The Kentucky River and A History of Eastern Kentucky University. In 1999, he received the Governor’s Award for his book Robert Worth Bingham and the Southern Mystique.
 

Also receiving special recognition at the Kentucky History Celebration will be Kentucky Rising: Democracy, Slavery, and Culture from the Early Republic to the Civil War, by James A. Ramage and Andrea S. Watkins. The book was co-published by The University Press of Kentucky and the Kentucky Historical Society. William E. Ellis is the second University Press of Kentucky author in as many years to win the KHS’s General Award, joining Estill Curtis Penning who won last year for Lessons in Likeness: Portrait Painters in Kentucky and the Ohio River Valley, 1802–1920.
 

From University Press of Kentucky