Longtime leader and advocate for historic preservation in Oregon, James Hamrick has been chosen to receive the 2009 McMath Award.  Hamrick served for twenty-five years in guiding and leading the state of Oregon’s heritage conservation efforts.  The award is given each year by the University of Oregon and Venerable Group, Inc. to an individual who exhibits life-long commitment to historic preservation.  This year’s presentation of the award will be held on Thursday, May 28 at a luncheon at the White Stag Block, UO in Portland, 70 N.W. Couch Street.

An Alabama native, Hamrick received his bachelor’s in art history and French literature from the University of Alabama in 1975.  He received a master’s in the history of architecture from the University of Oregon in 1979 and was hired by the Oregon State Preservation Office; thus beginning his almost twenty-five year career in the historic preservation field.  Hamrick worked for the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office in various posts, all with increasing responsibility for guiding preservation policy and programs at the state and national levels.  

As Oregon Parks and Recreation Department’s assistant director of the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office, James Hamrick managed or was a member of the following policy-making and advisory organizations:  Historic Columbia River Highway Advisory Committee, Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Historic Trails Advisory Council, State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, and Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries.

Early in his career, Hamrick served as architectural historian and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer for the State of Nevada. He is a past Board member of the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, and past Vice President of the Marion Dean Ross Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians.

Although he retired in July 2008, he continues to work for Oregon 150, the non-profit organization charged by Governor Kulongoski with coordinating the 2009 Oregon Sesquicentennial.

The award honors the late George McMath, a preservationist and architect, who is widely remembered as one of the most important figures in the preservation and restoration of Portland's historic buildings.  Venerable Group, Inc. provides a full range of professional real estate services with a special focus on historic properties.

Proceeds from the McMath Award luncheon provide financial aid for university students enrolled in the master’s program in historic preservation.  For more information or to reserve tickets, contact 541-346-3697.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 62 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Karen Johnson, AAA communications, 541-346-3603, karenjj@uoregon.edu

Source: Kingston Heath, professor and director, historic preservation program, 541-346-2115, kwheath@uoregon.edu

Links: http://hp.uoregon.edu/financialaid/mcmath