Buffalo History Museum seeks nominations for annual awards

The Buffalo History Museum is asking community members to nominate candidates for the Red Jacket, Owen B. Augspurger and Daniel B. Niederlander awards, which will be presented later this year at the Red Jacket Awards Ceremony. Nominations can be submitted online at https://buffalohistory.org/red-jacket-awards/. They are due by 11:59 p.m. Friday, March 25.

Per the museum:

The Red Jacket Award was established in 1957 in recognition of “quiet, continued, unbroken devotion to our civic progress and needs by one who, through such devotion, has thereby enlarged our awareness of our heritage in order that it may be built upon for the enrichment of our future.”

The award is named after the renowned orator and Seneca leader, Sagoyewatha, or Red Jacket. In 1792, President George Washington presented Red Jacket with the medal after which the award is modeled. The Red Jacket Medal was repatriated from the museum to the Seneca Nation of Indians in a ceremony in May 2021. Nearly 7 inches tall, the medal bears symbolic imagery of peaceful coexistence between United States and Native Americans. The tradition of The Red Jacket Award is inspired by the imperative to continue to acknowledge those who, with steady service, strive to support the connections in our region with our heritage.

The Owen B. Augspurger Award was established in 1974 in honor of Augspurger, a former History Museum president, and a Red Jacket honoree. The award is presented to an individual for outstanding service to the cause of local history.

The Daniel B. Niederlander Award was established in 1975, in honor of Niederlander, a former History Museum president, businessman, and dedicated civic leader. The award is given to a local education, cultural or heritage organization for outstanding programming.