Christopher Lehman and Derek Larson joined the Board of Directors at the Stearns History Museum during the second half of 2020.
Lehman, an ethnic studies professor and chair at St. Cloud State University, joined the Board in August 2020. He has written several books and has been a contributor to community discussions for several years. He received the 2020 Minnesota Book Award for Minnesota Nonfiction for his literary work, Slavery’s Reach: Southern Slaveholders in the North Star State.
Larson is a history and environmental study professor at the College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University. He will be on a research sabbatical from January through August 2021, exploring the impacts of the 1918 influenza pandemic on Stearns County. Larson will work with a team of students to develop a series of digital maps that illustrate the pandemic’s impact at the township level, incorporating both narrative elements from oral histories and data from public health records and cemetery surveys. He joined the Museum’s Board in November.
“I welcome these outstanding leaders in their field, and I look forward to the experience and insight they bring to our board,” said Dorraine Larison, the Museum’s board chair. “Their guidance will be key to fulfill our mission to connect people through the power of history and culture.”
The Board’s purpose is to govern and advise the Stearns History Museum’s policy and direction and assist with its leadership and general promotion. The Museum connects people through the power of history and culture. Please check our website regularly for virtual programming and updates.