Announcements

92 OHIO VALLEY HISTORY Announcements C incinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal has been named one of ten recipients of the 2009 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries. The annual award, made by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) since 1994, recognizes institutions for outstanding social, educational , environmental, or economic contributions to their communities. Cincinnati Museum Center received the National Medal at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., and a ten thousand dollar award in recognition of their extraordinary contributions. “Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal is a successful cultural experiment— a national model of excellence,” says Douglass W. McDonald, president and CEO. “We are the incredible result of merging legacy institutions , a children’s museum, and an OMNIMAX theatre that breathed life back into a National Historic Landmark. This award is a tribute to our staff, trustees, donors, members, volunteers and community partners whose unwavering dedication to our mission and innovative efforts has made us a unique asset and a vital community resource.” U.S. presidents and young children alike have been awestruck at the grandeur and beauty of Cincinnati Museum Center’s iconic home — Cincinnati Union Terminal. Since its 1933 opening , UnionTerminal has welcomed more than one hundred and fifty million visitors. As the home of Cincinnati Museum Center since 1990, visitors now are encouraged to share dialogue, become lifelong learners and develop insights. Recognized recently by Forbes Traveler as the seventeenth most visited museum in the nation, Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal welcomes more than 1.3 million visitors annually and reaches out to nearly four hundred thousand young people through hands-on programs and learning experiences. As a key regional and national destination, CMC brings fifteen million dollars in new money to the region and supports 1,100 jobs. A key element of Cincinnati Museum Center’s community and mission success is its youth leadership program. Since 1989, the youth program connects high schools students from diverse backgrounds as museum interpreters , providing jobs, life-skills training, college preparation, and a sense of family and self-confidence . More than 1,500 students have participated in this in-depth program that celebrates a 100 percent high school graduation rate, 99 percent college enrollment rate and 90 percent scholarship recipient rate. Cincinnati Museum Center is a one-ofa -kind, multi-museum complex housed in a National Historic Landmark, Art Deco train station. Union Terminal is an incomparable building and the most significant and greatest artifact in the collection. This beloved historic venue has dramatically impacted and served the Cincinnati community for years. CMC’s long term vision of community outreach is centered on an ambitious plan to restore and repair Union Terminal, infusing modern science into the designs and further using the icon as a teaching tool, a transportation hub, an economic engine, and a community center. ANNOUNCEMENTS WINTER 2009 93 Doug McDonald, Mayor Mark Mallory and retired state legislator William Mallory announced the IMLS Award in October 2009. ...