For Immediate Release

Contact: Kara O’Keeffe
608-261-9596
kara.okeeffe@wisconsinhistory.org

October 8, 2018

Wisconsin Historical Society to Present the City of New Richmond with the 2018 Board of Curators Public Program Award at Historical Marker Unveiling Ceremony

New Richmond, Wis. - Tomorrow, Tuesday, October 9, the Wisconsin Historical Society will present the City of New Richmond with the 2018 Board of Curators Public Program Award in recognition of a 2017 three-day John Doar History Trail Community Celebration. A State Historical Marker recognizing John Doar will also be unveiled at the ceremony. The event will start at 11:00 a.m. in downtown New Richmond, near the start of the John Doar History Trail (150 W First Street) and it is open to the public. In case of rain, the event will be held indoors at the City Hall.

John Doar led the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department in the 1960s, during which time he fought to protect the rights of black voters and integrate universities in the South. He played an integral role in the Civil Rights Movement, prosecuting several high-profile cases including the “Mississippi Burning” trial; escorted James Meredith, the first African American student to attend the University of Mississippi; walked alongside the Selma-to-Montgomery March; prevented a riot following the funeral of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evans; and helped draft the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Doar later served as special counsel of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee’s impeachment investigation of President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. In 2012, he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama. John Doar passed away in 2014 at the age of 92.

Christian Overland, Ruth and Hartley Barker Director for the Wisconsin Historical Society along with Mayor Fred Horne, State Representative Rob Stafsholt, State Senator Patty Schachtner, and the Doar family will give remarks at the ceremony. Afterward, the historical marker will be formally unveiled.

About Wisconsin Historical Society

The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit www.wisconsinhistory.org.

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