Berkshire Award Recipients Feted for Local Efforts
 George Wislocki, right, is presented a Berkshire Award by Van Shields for his efforts to preserve the region's natural beauty and resources. See more photos here. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Awards were established last year to recognize individuals whose efforts have made the Berkshires better.
But this year's recipients were quick to thank others for their support — including the Berkshire Museum, which established the awards.
“I’ve always wanted to thank this museum and now I have the chance to do it," recipient George Wislocki said. “Because this museum has always been a wonderful sense of place, and it’s the Berkshires, it’s the forest, it’s the hills, its history, and it’s the arts.”
Wislocki, Frances Jones-Sneed and members of the Nash Family were feted at the museum Friday night with the presentation of the awards and a reception.
The awards are given to people who live in the Berkshires and who create and encourage artistic, historical and natural heritage.
Van Shields, executive director of the Berkshire Museum, introduced the recipients and presented the awards.
“We believe that preserving our artistic, historical and natural heritage is vital to the quality of life we hold today,” Shields said. “It made the quality of life we enjoy today and continuing that tradition will improve our quality of life in the future.”
Wislocki helped establish land conservation in the Berkshires. He is a founder of the Berkshire Natural Resources Council, established in 1967. The organization is responsible for conserving thousands of acres of land in the Berkshires.
Jones-Sneed, a professor at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, has been critical in discovering black heritage in Western Massachusetts. She is the associate editor of the book “African American Heritage in the Upper Housatonic Valley.”
Jones-Sneed accepted the award in the name of all the people who have helped her and who she has worked with.
"I accept this award on behalf of the organizations that I work with, the African American Heritage Trail Group, The Samuel Harrison Society, MCLA, the MCLA history department for giving me the breath I needed to let me be creative so I can do what I do, and also all of the people in the Berkshires I’ve worked with, and my family," she said.
The members of the Nash Family included Suzanne Nash along with her late husband, Kenneth, and three boys Seth, Mitch and Leo, all of whom have been business owners and supporters of culture and arts in the Berkshires. The family has supported the Berkshire Museum, Community Access to the Arts, the Colonial Theatre, IS183, Tanglewood, WordxWord, Jacob’s Pillow and Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts.
Suzanne Nash is a trustee of the Berkshire Museum, Seth and Mitch are owners of the Pittsfield business Blue Q, and Leo is an artist and a photographer.
Seth Nash spoke for the family and thanked his parents and explained that he and his brothers owe a lot of their success to their wives.
"I just want to thank the museum, and it is a great honor," Nash said.
"The other people I would like to thank is our wives because without them we wouldn’t be here tonight, and the people that are obviously most responsible for this are obviously my mother and father."
Tags: awards, environment, historic preservation,
