Maurice Rickards Award of The Ephemera Society of America
In 1985, the Ephemera Society honored Maurice Rickards for distinguished
service in the world of ephemera by giving him our first merit
award. Rickards, along with several of his countrymen and American
Calvin Otto, had founded the English ephemera society in 1975,
was a guiding force behind numerous conferences and fairs, had
an admirable list of publications to his credit, and helped establish
our own organization. To further honor Maurice, we named our merit
award after him; henceforth, all winners would be given the Maurice
Rickards Award.
The
Maurice Rickards Award is presented to a person or persons who
have made important contributions to the field of ephemera. He
or she does not have to be an American or even a member of the
Ephemera Society; however, recipients must be seriously involved
in the discipline of ephemera as a collector, dealer, researcher,
institutional curator, or conservator. Accomplishments in the
field include scholarly publications, the preparation of exhibitions
and catalogs, the development of new or improved methods of conservation,
placement of ephemera collections in public institutions, and
the promotion of ephemera as one way of understanding our country's
history. Including Maurice Rickards, there have been fourteen
winners of our award, and it has been given twelve times through
2002.
In 1986, we presented the award to Robert Staples and Barbara
Charles. In addition to multimedia presentations and exhibition
design at such places as the Smithsonian Institution, Library
of Congress, and Chicago Historical Society, Staples & Charles
were involved in exhibit planning projects at a variety of sites
that involved the imaginative and educational use of ephemera.
One year later Georgia Baumgardner-now Georgia Barnhill-received
the Rickards Award. Georgia, or Gigi as she is more familiarly
known, was on the staff of the American Antiquarian Society as
curator of prints and had organized exhibitions and had done publications
based on the holdings at the society. Another museum worker, Deborah
Smith, was given the award in 1991. At that time, Deborah was
at the Strong Museum as Curator of Advertising Paper and Documentary
Evidence. In this capacity she was responsible for the care of
a collection of 80,000 items. In addition, Deborah did grant writing,
was in charge of the preservation of the museum's scrapbook collection,
and had organized exhibits that highlighted ephemera on such topics
as theater posters, advertising, and sheet music.
In 1988, the society recognized Rockwell Gardiner for his career
as a dealer of ephemera. Rocky was instrumental in placing countless
items and collections that had come to his attention in public
institutions and with private collectors. A true pioneer in the
field, he encouraged and inspired many dealers as they embarked
in the profession. A second dealer, Samuel Murray, received the
award in 1997. Sam had worked as a publisher's representative
and often traveled on business up and down the East Coast. Wherever
he went he haunted bookshops, antique stores, and flea markets,
and when he returned home he stored his purchases in his basement.
When he retired in the 1960s, Sam opened these boxes and embarked
on a second profession as a dealer. His letterhead explained it
all: "Samuel Murray-Trafficker in Paper Americana."
In 1989, the society recognized Barbara Rusch for her many contributions,
including establishing the Ephemera Society of Canada. Ian Wilson,
chief archivist of Ontario's Ministry of Culture and Communications,
wrote of Barbara: "The Ephemera Society of Canada embodies
a concept very much in tune with our times, and we must all applaud
the efforts of its founders-particularly its president, Barbara
Rusch-in responding to the challenge of history. In rescuing,
conserving, studying, and displaying these vital fragments, the
Society is enriching us all in a hitherto neglected area of the
nation's heritage."
Artist, graphic designer, and teacher John Grossman received
the Rickards Award in 1990, and a decade later, in 2000, we honored
Marcus McCorison, longtime director of the American Antiquarian
Society. John's collection of tens of thousands of items of paper
ephemera inspired him to create a company called The Gifted Line,
which produces products based on his collection. In his administrative
capacity, Marcus spearheaded the growth of ephemera collecting
at the AAS over many years, and he served on many library and
museum boards during his impressive career.
Lifetime ephemera society member Stephen Paine received the Rickards
Award in 1998. Stephen worked as an investment counselor in Boston
and was a passionate collector of ephemera who inspired everyone
he met as an ambassador of the importance of ephemera in American
life. Stephen was a trustee of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
and the Clark Art Institute and an honorary trustee of Boston's
Institute of Contemporary Art.
We recognized the achievements of Blair and Margaret Whitton
in 1999. Their work as collectors, researchers, writers, exhibitors,
and dealers in paper toys and ephemera is well known. Together,
they served as curators on the staff of the Strong Museum and
later operated a business called The Paper Palace in Keene, NH.
In 2002, the award came full circle as the society honored Calvin
Otto, present at creation, longtime board member, inveterate collector,
and wonderful proponent of ephemera collecting and studies.
E. Richard McKinstry
Past President
