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David Benedict, President of the Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society was honored by the Captain Nathan Watkins Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Mountain Home. David was also the guest speaker for their monthly meeting and presented a program titled, “Preserving History.”
David Benedict came to Baxter County in 1949 at the age of 9. He attended Mountain Home Schools from the 5th grade, graduated high school in 1957, then went on to earn a B.A. degree in Bible/Ministry at Manhattan (KS) Christian College. He met and married Baxter County native Patricia Summers.
The next approximately 40 years were spent variously as a Christian church minister and Christian college educator in Indiana, Kansas, and California. David and Patsy retired to Mountain Home at the end of 2007. They were active members of Christian Church of Mountain Home where he serves as a teacher and Elder.
David became an active member of the Baxter County Historical and Genealogical Society in 2012. He was elected Vice President for 2013 and he is now in his 4th term as President of the Society.
David stared his program at the DAR meeting by stating, “It’s actually the joy and fascination of looking back to see how people lived life and dealt with it. I think we become historians and genealogists mainly to marvel at the incredible vision, ingenuity, fortitude, and perseverance of those people who have gone before us”.
“Doing” history—learning it, collecting it, preserving it– is a cultural blessing, because the understanding that comes from finding out gives us pleasure. People who don’t do history are missing out on something good.”
David Benedict
The program included a history of the Historical Society and the interesting preservation and restoration of the historic buildings in Mountain Home that are under the supervision of the Baxter County Historical Society.
To sum up his program, David shared the following thoughts:
“History is happening. Even what we do here today is part of that ongoing panorama. I’m just one person who loves the history of this place and wants to see its richness preserved, remembered, and shared to continue to enrich our culture in Baxter County and the region. I stand on the shoulders of literally hundreds of people who also love our Baxter County history and have given their interest, effort, time, and resources to fulfill our mission, which we summarize—I believe very aptly—as “Preserving the Past for the Future.”
Captain Nathan Watkin’s Chapter Regent, April Baily, presented David with the DAR’s Excellence in Historic Preservation Certificate and Medal. Since 1890, the mission of the DAR has been to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism. The Historic Preservation Committee, established as a national Committee on March 1, 2008, seeks to honor the nation’s heritage, focus on the future, and celebrate America.
The Excellence in Historic Preservation Certificate and Medal is awarded to recognize outstanding individuals and organizations that promote historic preservation that have saved and/or preserved their local history, including restoration of buildings, collections, significant objects, monuments, cemeteries, and other important artifacts.
