Phil Porter named Michigan History Hero in 2024 Upper Peninsula History Awards

UPPER PENINSULA — The winners of the 2024 Upper Peninsula History Awards have been announced ahead of the annual Upper Peninsula History Conference on June 22.

At the 75th annual conference, the Historical Society of Michigan will present three awards to recognize individuals and organizations that have made contributions to the preservation of U.P. history.

The Historical Society of Michigan History Hero Award was established in 2017 to recognize individuals who have made contributions to preserving history not just in the Upper Peninsula but across the state.

Phil Porter of Cheboygan is receiving the award this year for his contributions to the Mackinac State Historic Parks.

Porter worked with Mackinac State Historic Parks for 49 years, serving as a tour guide at Fort Mackinac, curator of collections and other positions, before eventually becoming the director of the parks. He retired in 2020.

More: Phil Porter to retire from Mackinac State Historic Parks

The next individual award is the Charles Follow award, named after an Escanaba schoolteacher who established multiple historical societies to promote U.P. history preservation.

The Charles Follow Award will be presented to Diedre Stevens of Sault Ste. Marie for her volunteer work at the Chippewa County Historical Society.

In her work, Stevens has helped create searchable databases and physical collections of local newspapers going back decades. She has cataloged the historical society’s photographs and other research materials for years and has contributed to the creation of several articles, books and other materials in the city.

Visitors to Sault Ste. Marie might also recognize her as the narrator for the history of the Soo Locks at the Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours company.

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More: The quest for Lake Superior shipwrecks

The Superior Award, established in 2006, is meant to recognize organizations that have played a role in preservation. This year, the award is going to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Society.

The society formed in 1978. The group maintains the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, which is home to the oldest operating lighthouse on Lake Superior. The museum is also home to Great Lakes shipwreck artifacts and the group searches the Great Lakes each year for undiscovered wrecks.

The society also helps support other historical organizations, such as the old U.S. Weather Bureau building in Soo Locks Park, and has contributed to video documentaries in collaboration with the National Geographic Society and the Discovery Channel.

The awards will be handed out at the 75th annual Upper Peninsula History Conference, which takes place June 21-23 at the Historical Society of Michigan. The event will feature a keynote presentation about Michigan’s first female chief of staff Mary Hadrich and more, including a history of the Soo Locks and the impact Jesuits had on the development of the Upper Peninsula.

The weekend long event will feature presentations, content sessions, educational workshops, an exhibit hall and more.

For more information, visit hsmichigan.org.

— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com