Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1100404
He spoke warmly about his service as Architect: "the real honor has been working with the incredibly tal- ented men and women of the Architect of the Capitol. From a passion, commitment, talent, service and lead- ership perspective, there are none better on the face of the earth." USCHS Trustee Jeanne de Cervens then transi- tioned the event into the Freedom Award portion of the evening. Remarking on the history of the award, she pointed out that, "In recent years, we have honored journalist Cokie Roberts, congressional stalwarts Dan- iel Inouye and John Dingell, fi lmmaker Ken Burns, Cab- inet Secretaries William Cohen and Norman Mineta, civil rights leader Congressman John Lewis, historian David McCullough, and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda." De Cervens then introduced fellow USCHS Trustee Jean Bordewich to speak about the unique role and important heritage of the offi ce of the Architect of the Capitol. Bordewich noted that "the Architect of the Capitol is faced with a constant dual mandate: to maintain an effi cient, eff ective, and state-of-the-art offi ce complex for the legislative branch of our federal government, and to preserve this historic edifi ce and its many important works of art, while making it as fully open to the public as possible. It's not easy, but they do it with extremely well." She then introduced Merdon, who made some remarks in acceptance of the award. " e men and women of our agency are humble and dedicated people who serve Congress and the Supreme Court, preserve America's Capitol, and inspire incredible memories on a daily basis," said Merdon. Refl ecting on the scope of their work—and the assets at their disposal—Merdon shared, "I like to think of this work as three 'P's: People, Projects, and Preserva- tion. is award honors our most important agency resource: our people. It's wonderful to hear the essen- tial work of the Architect of the Capitol being acknowl- edged and celebrated. We have some of the most tal- ented and widely admired architects, tradesmen, artists, engineers, and scholars, and I'm proud to have some of them here tonight." Society Board of Trustees Chairman Donald Carl- son closed the program by recognizing event donors— Bank of America, e American Institute of Architects, and the American Society of Civil Engineers—and other special guests including three Architects of the Capitol: 10th Architect of the Capitol Alan Hantman, Ayers, and Merdon. Each of the Architects was pre- sented with a USCHS replica of the Capitol made from reclaimed marble taken from Capitol steps during the 1995 restoration. C-SPAN was on hand to record the evening's pro- ceedings for their American History TV program. e full video can be seen on their website, c-span.org. THE CAPITOL DOME 66 Freedom Award (cont. from back cover) SPRING SYMPOSIUM: SAVE THE DATE On May 2 and 3, the U.S. Capitol Historical Society will host its annual spring symposium. is year, we'll wrap up our exploration of the post-Civil War Reconstruction period, with segments focusing on Reconstruction through 1877, the "Long Reconstruction" moving deep into the twentieth century, and memories of Reconstruction and the Civil War. Reconstruction and the Long Reconstruction: 150 Years toward Freedom will take place over a full day ursday at the Hill Center (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) and a morning session Friday in the Russell Senate Offi ce Building. Visit uschs.org for updates, speaker lists, and registration links as they become available! Sen. Roy Blunt KATIE GARLOCK/PORTRAITIONS is event was made possible through the generous support of these donors: Bank of America e American Institute of Architects American Society of Civil Engineers