The University of Delaware and two of its faculty are recipients of the New Castle County Historic Review Board's 1997 Historic Preservation Awards.
The University was recognized for its restoration of the George Evans House at 5 West Main St. in Newark. The structure was built as a residence in 1863 by George Evans, a Newark entrepreneur who served as secretary of the Board of Trustees of Delaware College, now the University of Delaware. The University purchased the building in 1949.
University President David P. Roselle accepted the certificate, which honored the University for "its meticulous restoration of this building...at a strategic corner location, where it contributes a flash of history in front of the brilliant setting of the new Trabant University Center" and for "its respect for Newark's history."
John A. Munroe, historian, educator and H. Rodney Sharp Emeritus Professor of History, accepted an award for teaching and writing about Delaware history for more than 40 years.
His citation reads, "In his creation of what have become the standard sources on Delaware history, he has helped us understand our local community and has given us, with the highest level of scholarly integrity, the precise framework in which to analyze our place in a larger history." Munroe has written five major books on Delaware history, Federalist Delaware 1775-1815; Louis McLane, Federalist and Jacksonian; Colonial Delaware-A History; History of Delaware and The University of Delaware: A History.
Jay F. Custer, professor of anthropology, received a certificate for his "extensive, high-caliber work in the field of prehistoric archaeology on the East Coast."
The award recognizes Custer for his numerous publications and his directorship of UD's Center for Archaeological Research.
The 1997 awards were given to 10 structures and four individuals. This is the fifth year the Historic Review Board has honored Delawareans for their efforts at preservation, and the University has won awards for its ongoing efforts in three of those years.