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Lake Forest, Ill. – An exhibit based on research conducted by Lake Forest College students and the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society has been recognized with an award of excellence by the Illinois Association of Museums.

The students collected oral histories from local residents and documented the former locations of holes at the abandoned Mill Road Farm golf course for the exhibit, “Hole in One: The Lore and Lure of Golf.” Assistant Professor of Sociology and Anthropology Holly Swyers assigned the projects in her spring 2009 “Domains of Human Evidence” and “Qualitative Methods” classes.

“Collaborating with the Historical Society gave me a chance to give the students a larger audience and to show them that their work can have impact outside the confines of the college,” says Swyers. “They rose to the challenge admirably, but I never anticipated that the exhibit would be recognized outside the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff community. I think it really hammers the message home that students can do real and important work, and it sets the bar for planned future collaborations with the Historical Society.”

The awards committee was impressed by the creative involvement of the College’s students and with the strong curatorial practice and planning process achieved by three part-time staff members at the Historical Society.

“This is a wonderful honor,” said Laurie Stein, a curator at the Lake Forest-Lake Bluff Historical Society. “Not only have we received great feedback from visitors to the exhibit, but now we have received recognition from our peers.”

Visitors to the exhibit learn about the first golf links in Chicagoland, see an abandoned course come to life, and discover the stories behind the clubs and golfing legends of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff through artifacts and photographs. The exhibit will be on display through February. The exhibit is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free.

The Illinois Association of Museums (IAM) is an independent, non-profit, statewide organization of museums and historical societies. The awards were presented at the IAM Annual Conference in October in Bloomington, Ill.

Lake Forest College is a national liberal arts institution located 30 miles north of downtown Chicago. The College has 1,400 students representing 47 states and 72 countries.

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Will Pittinos '06
847-735-6177
pittinos@lakeforest.edu