Whereas, Jackie Kersh has long been interested in history and historic preservation, even serving on the clean-up crew with other West Volusia Historical Society members when DeLand House was acquired more than 30 years ago; and has served for many years as a member and officer of our Board of Directors, leading and working behind the scenes on such programs as the Home Tours, Cemetery Walks, Porch Chats, and Parlor Chats; and

Whereas, she helped organize several Historic Preservation Workshops, bringing in guest experts to help homeowners and others deal with the nuts and bolts of keeping their historic properties in good shape; and worked to compile, photograph, and edit our Field Guide to DeLand Buildings, published in 2008 to help residents identify and understand DeLand’s architectural styles; and is now helping to reissue it; and

Whereas, she organized a broad team from the Society and the black community, including Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, to renovate, reinterpret, and expand the exhibits in the Burgess Pavilion, the first hospital for West Volusia’s black citizens, now part of the DeLand Memorial Hospital and Veterans Museum; and

Whereas, she is now working with colleagues to refurbish the Bert Fish Room in the DeLand Memorial Hospital and Veterans Museum, to tell the story of Fish’s legacy of Volusia County hospitals and medical care; and continues to work on such projects as organizing the Society’s photo files; and helps write and edit “This Week in West Volusia History” for Facebook; and

Whereas, she commissioned, with help from a generous friend, the beautiful stained-glass window that brightens the entryway to the Robert M. Conrad Center; and was named Volunteer of the Year in 2004, Historian of the Year in 2006 and 2014; and received the William J. Dreggors, Jr. Award in 2017; now, therefore

Let It Be Known that the West Volusia Historical Society bestows on Jackie Kersh the title of Director Emeritus, in recognition of her long, creative service to history and historic preservation, as she ends her latest term on our Board of Directors.