The 2009 US/ICOMOS Ann Webster Smith Award for International Heritage Achievement will be presented to the Honorable Russell E. Train at a formal dinner to be held September 30, 2009 at the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC.

On behalf of the United States Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, we are very pleased to present the 2009 US/ICOMOS Ann Webster Smith Award for International Heritage Achievement to the Honorable Russell E. Train. The Ann Webster Smith Award honors an American individual, group of persons or institution, in the public or private sector, for extraordinary and sustained achievement in perpetuating Ann Webster Smith’s quest to make the United States a respected partner and trustworthy pillar to support the conservation of the cultural heritage in all parts of the world.
 
Frank Hodsoll, US/ICOMOS Board member, ICOMOS member, and Chair of the World Heritage Sub-committee of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, nominated the Mr. Train for this award. The Awards Committee unanimously agreed that Mr. Train is eminently worthy of this honor because he provided the American leadership that resulted in 1972 in UNESCO’s adoption of the World Heritage Convention. His foresight and persistence in advancing U.S. leadership internationally to bring about the UNESCO Convention has done much to conserve the natural and cultural treasures of our planet and to educate governments and citizens as to why this is important.
 
As Mr. Hodsoll stated in the nomination, “The United States was the first signatory and ratifier of that Convention which today assists protection and conservation of 878 properties around the world, of which 679 are cultural and 25 are mixed cultural and natural. The Convention has been signed and ratified by 185 nations (nearly all the members of the United Nations). The World Heritage Program is today UNESCO’s best known program, and the competition for a site to attain World Heritage status is fiercely engaged in by countries from every part of the globe.” US/ICOMOS will honor Mr. Train as the winner of the Ann Webster Smith Award at a formal dinner to be held on September 30, 2009 at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C.
 
On behalf of the United States Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, we are very pleased to present the 2009 US/ICOMOS Ann Webster Smith Award for International Heritage Achievement to the Honorable Russell E. Train. The Ann Webster Smith Award honors an American individual, group of persons or institution, in the public or private sector, for extraordinary and sustained achievement in perpetuating Ann Webster Smith’s quest to make the United States a respected partner and trustworthy pillar to support the conservation of the cultural heritage in all parts of the world. Frank Hodsoll, US/ICOMOS Board member, ICOMOS member, and Chair of the World Heritage Sub-committee of the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, nominated the Mr. Train for this award.

The Awards Committee unanimously agreed that Mr. Train is eminently worthy of this honor because he provided the American leadership that resulted in 1972 in UNESCO’s adoption of the World Heritage Convention.  His foresight and persistence in advancing U.S. leadership internationally to bring about the UNESCO Convention has done much to conserve the natural and cultural treasures of our planet and to educate governments and citizens as to why this is important.

As Mr. Hodsoll stated in the nomination, “The United States was the first signatory and ratifier of that Convention which today assists protection and conservation of 878 properties around the world, of which 679 are cultural and 25 are mixed cultural and natural. The Convention has been signed and ratified by 185 nations (nearly all the members of the United Nations).  The World Heritage Program is today UNESCO’s best known program, and the competition for a site to attain World Heritage status is fiercely engaged in by countries from every part of the globe.”

US/ICOMOS will honor Mr. Train as the winner of the Ann Webster Smith Award at a formal dinner to be held on September 30, 2009 at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C.  For information, visit: http://www.usicomos.org/aws-award-dinner-2009
or contact Donald G Jones, US/ICOMOS Director of Programs, at don.jones@usicomos.org or 202-842-1866.