The Heritage Awards celebrate the contributions of community members toward fulfilling the Museum’s mission of discovering, preserving, and sharing the heritage of the Grand Valley.
The MWC relies on others in the community, either in cooperation with the museum or individually, to help fulfill this very important mission. It is an honor and privilege for us to be able to recognize leaders and organizations who have contributed so significantly to the community’s heritage.
Historian Award
This award recognizes distinguished and long-term contributions by an individual, group or organization to the public understanding and appreciation of Mesa County and Western Slope history.
Previous Honorees:
Debbie Brockett (2014)
Garry Brewer (2014)
Dave Sundal (2014)
Priscilla Walker, Palisade Historical Society (2015)
Robert Silbernagel (2016)
Steven G. Baker (2017)
Dr. Steve Schulte (2018)
Steve and Denise Hight (2018)
George Callison Paleontological Award
This award recognizes distinguished and long-term contributions by an individual, group or organization to the public understanding and appreciation of Mesa County and Western Slope paleontological heritage.
Previous Honorees:
Harley Armstrong (2010)
Dr. Jim Kirkland (2011)
Dr. George Callison (2012)
Rob Gaston (2013)
Chuck Safris (2014)
Mike Perry (2015)
Dr. Martin Lockley (2016)
Dr. John Foster (2017)
Dr. Rod Scheetz (2018)
Heritage Enterprise Award
This award recognizes a business enterprise that has made distinguished and significant long-term contributions to the preservation of Mesa County’s heritage.
Previous Honorees:
Ron Bubar, Subaru (2014)
Bacon Family Foundation (2014)
Clay Tuffy, Alpine Bank (2015)
Family Health West (2016)
Whitewater Building Material (2017)
US Bank, Grand Junction (2018)
Museum Service Award
This award recognizes meritorious efforts by an individual, group or organization in support of the MWC’s mission and vision.
Previous Honorees:
Marie Tipping (2014)
The Territorial Daughters of Colorado (2014)
Legends of the Grand Valley (2014)
Mount Garfield Chapter, Daughters of American Revolution (2015)
Margaret Strange (posthumously) (2015)
Anna May Richmond, Cross Orchards (2016)
Emma McCreanor, Mesa County Historical Society (2016)
Michael Calabro (2017)
Kay Fredette (2017)
Dorothy Stewart (2017)
Ann Buelow (2017)
Evelyn Kyle (2018)
Rayne and John McLennan (2018)
Preservation Award
This award recognizes distinguished and long-term efforts of an individual, group or organization to the preservation of Mesa County’s architectural treasures.
Previous Honorees:
Gateway Canyon Resort (2014)
Kristen Ashbeck (2014)
Tim Gasparini (2014)
Jon Schler (2015)
Chamberlain Architecture (2016)
HistorCorp/BLM-NCA (2017)
Dr. Hugo and Gayle Madden (2017)
Leslie “Bill” Ellicott (2018)
Archeology Award
This award recognizes distinguished and long-term contributions by an individual, group or organization to the public understanding and appreciation of Mesa County and Western Slope Archeology.
Previous Honorees:
George Decker (2015)
John Lindstrom (2016)
Curtis Martin (2017)
Glade V. Hadden (2018)
Partner in Heritage Award
This honor recognizes distinguished efforts of an individual, group or organization in the preservation of Mesa County’s heritage.
Previous Honorees:
Herb Bacon (2016)
Mesa County Commissioners (2017)
Plateau Valley Historical Preservation (2018)
Grand Valley Historical Society (2018)