Below are this years nominees for our coveted History Maker and History Preserver Awards.   Voting will be opening up soon.....July 1, 2026 to be exact.  Please check back on July 1st to cast your vote for our coveted History Maker and History Preserver Awards.  

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Make sure that you purchase your tickets to see if your candidate will be our winner.   We look forward to seeing everyone at this historical event. 

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History Makers: A person/group who has played a significant role in making history in Middletown or making history and being from Middletown.

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• Todd Bell: NFL Star and Ohio State Defensive Back.

• James E. Campbell: US Representative for Ohio and the 38th Governor of Ohio.

• Clarence "Butch" Carter: NBA Player and Coach

• Cris Carter: Pro Football Hall of Fame Inductee and NFL Star.

• Melville Collins: American Musical Theatre Actor, Broadway Actor, Composer and Pianist

• George Warren Coddington: US Patent Holder: (336,796) / Inventor of Fruit Can Fastener/Lid

• James M. Cox: US Representative for Ohio and the 46th/48th Governor of Ohio.  US Presidential Nominee 1920.  Owner and Founder of the Dayton Daily News.

• William Henry "Bill" Hanzlik: NBA Player and Analyst; 1980 Men's Olympic Team Congressional Gold Medalist - Basketball

• McGuire Sisters: Vocal Trio

• Clarence Page: American Journalist, Columnist and Senior Member of the Chicago Tribune.

• Susan Perkins: Miss America 1978.

• Helen (Gerber) Ramsdell: Longtime Middletown Singer and Vocal Coach.

• Charlie Root: MLB Pitcher: Chicago Cubs & St. Louis Browns

• Terry Rukavina: All America Girl's Baseball League Player.

• James “Choppy” Saunders: Middletown’s First African American City Council Member.

• Shepherd Sisters: Vocal Quartet

• Dr. Frank Simon: Assistant Director for the John Philip Sousa Band and Director of the Armco Band

• John Watson: Actor: Groundhog Day, The Fugitive, Natural Born Killers and Soul Food

• Write In:  You are able to write in your candidate.  Past winners are not eligible. 

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​History Preservers: A person/group who has played a significant role in preserving or recording the history of Middletown.​

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• Mark and Traci Barnett:  Owners, Preservers and Restorers of the Sorg Mansion. 

• Doug Bean: Director of Middletown Public Library for 37 years.

• Pat Brewer:  Middletown Artist

• Herbert Fall: Middletown Artist of Historical People, Places and Events in Middletown History

• Dave Francis: Sponsor of Annual Middletown History Calendar

• Jack Howard:  Middletown Illustrator of Historical Pictures

• James McBride: Butler County Historian who wrote the Cyclopedia of Butler County including accounts of Early Middletown and Lemon Township

• Ann Mort:  Community Preservation Activist and Author

• South Main Street Historic District / PRISM: Non-Profit Organization to Assist in the Preservation and Revitalization of the South Main Street Historic District.

• Judge William Todhunter: Involved in the founding of the library and Middletown History Recorder

• Wilifred Vorhis:  Historian and Author of Middletown History

• Woodside Cemetery and Arboretum: Preserver of final resting place of Middletownians

• Write In:  You are able to write in your candidate.  Past winners are not eligible. 

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