STAFF REPORTS
(Left to right) Katherine, Kate, Bill and Lucy Johnson show off the Texas Historical Commission Award honoring Kate Johnson for her work preserving Hays County’s history. (Photo by Jim Cullen)
Kyle resident Kate Johnson has been honored for her work preserving the history of Hays County.
Citing her “laudable record of vision, research and support of a wide range of historical preservation activities,” the Texas Historical Commission gave Johnson the John Ben Shepperd County Historical Commission Leadership Award at a Houston ceremony on April 23.
The award, named for former Texas attorney general and civic activist John Ben Shepperd, recognizes outstanding leadership necessary to carry out an aggressive and well-balanced preservation program.
“Kate Johnson’s commitment to the Hays County Historical Commission demonstrates her enthusiasm for saving the real places of Texas,” said THC Executive Director Mark Wolfe. “Her dedication as a preservationist to enriching the lives of others through history has played an important role in preserving our state’s past, as well as enhancing its future.”
Johnson is a longtime member of the Hays County Historical Commission and has served as chair for three terms. Her recent accomplishments include the production of a documentary of Captain Jack C. Hays, a legendary Texas Ranger and the namesake of the county. She has also supported restoration of the 1880s-era Hays County Jail, working with local preservation groups to secure funding for building rehabilitiaiton.
“During her tenure as chair of the Hays CHC, Johnson’s leadership inspired an accomplished group of volunteers committed to helping support numerous goals from county-wide oral histories to cemetery restoration to on-site visits of Hays County’s many historic sites,” Texas Historical Commission officials said.
