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Governor Manchin names Shepherd's Dr. Mark Snell to the West Virginia Sesquicentennial Commission ISSUED: 6 October 2009 Shepherdstown, WV--Governor Joe Manchin has named Shepherd University's Dr. Mark Snell to the West Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission. The 13-member commission includes scholars, historians, representatives from the Legislature, and key state agencies who will serve through 2015. Snell is associate professor of history and director of the George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War. He is a noted scholar of military history, the Civil War, and reconstruction. Snell is vice chairman of the commission. The mission of the West Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission is to promote awareness and celebrate the unique creation of the state of West Virginia, the role of its citizens during the Civil War era, and the continuing effect of the war. The commission will plan and promote state activities for observances of the 150th anniversaries of John Brown's raid at Harpers Ferry, the American Civil War, and West Virginia statehood, which will be celebrated statewide in 2013 with a special event at West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling. "As the only state named by presidential decree, and as a state that was born out of the Civil War, West Virginia has special reason to acknowledge the 150th anniversary of the conflict," Manchin said. "Our state was the site of several significant battles, including the first land battle at Philippi, and our people found themselves in divided homes as loyalties to the Union and the Confederacy tore families apart. "This commission is developing plans to encourage continued preservation of our Civil War heritage, identifying economic development opportunities for historic and cultural tourism, and promoting the study of West Virginia and Civil War history," he said. Legislation to establish the commission was introduced in the 2009 legislative session by Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin, and Senator John Unger. The legislature provided $100,000 to sponsor the commission and its activities. Other community members of the commission include Dr. Peter Carmichael, Eberly Professor of Civil War Studies at West Virginia University; Sheila Coleman-Castells, president and CEO of Sangha Consulting, Inc. and lecturer at Frostburg State University; Dr. Arthur E. DeMatteo, assistant professor of history at Glenville State College; Dr. Connie Park Rice, lecturer in the Department of History at West Virginia University and assistant editor of West Virginia History: A Journal of Regional Studies; Dr. Victor Thacker, provost and dean of faculty at Davis and Elkins College; Beth White, published Civil War historian and lecturer; and Richard Wolfe, program manager for Lockheed Martin. Members of the commission who represent the state include Senator John Unger, Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin's representative; Betty Carver, commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Tourism; Kay Goodwin; and Randall Reid-Smith, commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. For more information about the West Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission, contact Molly E. George, special projects coordinator for the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, at 304-558-0220. -30-YOUNG |
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