History Award for Lewis

Kennesaw State University history professor Catherine Lewis, the director of KSU’s Museum of History and Holocaust Education, received the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council’s award for excellence in documenting Georgia’s history during the GHRAC Archives Awards ceremony Oct. 28 at the Georgia Archives.

Lewis shared the award with first lady Sandra Deal and KSU assistant history professor Jennifer Dickey, her collaborators on “Memories of the Mansion: The Story of Georgia’s Governor’s Mansion,” published by the UGA Press in September.

The book tells the story of the West Paces Ferry Road mansion, what preceded it, and the people who have lived and worked there since it opened in 1968. Designed by Atlanta architect A. Thomas Bradbury, the mansion has been home to eight first families and houses a distinguished collection of American art and antiques.

Leven Donates $1M to Camp

Georgia Aquarium CEO Michael Leven recently donated $1 million gift to Camp Tevya, a co-ed Jewish camp in Brookline, N.H. It’s the largest contribution from an individual in the nonprofit camp’s 76-year history.

The gift is going toward the Aaron and Blanche Gordon House, which will provide space for more department heads and senior specialists and will accommodate more visiting rabbis, artists and coaches.

Camp Tevya recently broke ground on the building.

Aaron Gordon served as Tevya’s director from the 1950s through the early 1970s and taught Leven at Boston Latin School.