On April 26, 2019, New England Historic Genealogical Society’s held our Annual Family History Benefit Dinner to honor legendary anchor and award-winning broadcast journalist Dan Rather at Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, Massachusetts. The full scope of Rather’s work was on display for the sparkling array of guests, benefactors, and honorees. The program included dramatic news clips from Dallas’s Dealey Plaza, where Rather broke news to CBS anchor Walter Cronkite—and to the world—of JFK’s assassination. The evening concluded with a thought-provoking discussion with CNBC Nightly Business Report co-anchor and NEHGS Trustee Bill Griffeth. Brenton Simons presented Rather’s genealogy, which revealed relationships to former presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Franklin D. Roosevelt; notable political figures John Kerry, Mitt Romney, William Henry Seward, and Thomas Dewery; and the infamous Benedict Arnold. Ryan Woods presented Rather with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Broadcast Journalism. Honoree Dan Rather with NEHGS Trustee Bill Griffeth.
On July 25, 2019, New England Historic Genealogical Society held our Summer Family History Benefit Dinner to honor award-winning presidential historian Douglas Brinkley at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. NEHGS President and CEO Brenton Simons presented Brinkley with an expertly prepared genealogy that revealed Brinkley’s connection to three former U.S. presidents—including Richard M. Nixon, the subject of three of Brinkley’s books. NEHGS Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ryan Woods presented our Lifetime Achievement Award in History and Biography, a prize for which he was nominated by NEHGS Trustee Thomas Bailey Hagen. Honoree Douglas Brinkley with NEHGS Trustee Thomas Bailey Hagen.
