Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/99748
William M. Maury (at right) became chief historian in 1971 and teamed with his assistant, Maier Fox (at left) to edit the Society's Capitol Studies journal. They are pictured here with President Schwengel and editorial assistant Mary Organ. NEW PUBLICATIONS THE SOCIETY'S FIRST publication after We, the People was aimed at children. Produced in a two-month period in 1965, "Our Nation's Capital Coloring Book" featured color-by-the-numbers illustrations of notable Washington landmarks. The Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge honored the coloring book with the George Washington Honor Medal for 1965. In presenting the award, foundation President Kenneth Wells commended the Society's recognition "that in order to meet the minds of our youth it must bend to the child's own media. The result was a combination coloring-history book that is now being used in classrooms all over America." The following year the Society inaugurated publication of the Capitol Dome newsletter for the membership. The first issue, dated March 1966, featured an editorial, "We Cannot Escape History," on the organization's purposes that stated in part: Historical societies are coming into their own. No longer are they stuffy museums of dusty books, yellowed papers and artifacts rusting under glass. And one of the leaders of this new surge of interest in American history is the United States Capitol Historical Society, a young, enthusiastic organization dedicated to the premise that "no citizen can understand the present and adequately prepare for the future without a thorough knowledge of the past." . . . The Capitol Historical Society is carrying on an active campaign to see that people do know something of their past. Contrary to the popular conception of historical societies, it is immensely successful. In 1966 Historian and Editor Murfin developed a proposal to create a We, the People calendar hat would include twelve illustrations relating to the Capitol and Washington, D.C., and historical notations for every day of the year. His On March 9, 1967, the Society made its first successor, John R. major donation to the Capitol when Vice PresiKerwood, continued dent Rep. Marguerite Stitt Church (second from the work and the right) presented a sofa that had been owned by first We, the People Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the second architect calendar was adverof the Capitol, to W. Pat Jennings, the clerk of tised in the June the House of Representatives. Members of the 1967 issue of the Latrobe family joined in the presentation Dome. The calendar ceremony in National Statuary Hall. Two armchairs first used in the House of Representatives in 1857 were donated in 1968. Speaker of the House John McCormack accepted the donation. 24 THE CAPITOL DOME WINTER 2013