Canal historian wins national award

Castaldi The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) announces that Thomas E. Castaldi is the recipient of an Award of Merit from the AASLH Leadership in History Awards for a lifetime of contributions to the history of the Wabash and Erie Canal.

Castaldi is Archives Committee Chairman for Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal Inc.

The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 64th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. Awards for 2009 represent 59 organizations and individuals from across the United States. Award winners will be honored at a special banquet during the 2009 AASLH annual meeting in Indianapolis on Aug. 29. A generous contribution from The History Channel will once again help underwrite the cost of the awards banquet.

Castaldi, a native of Logansport, received a B.S. degree at Indiana University's School of Business in 1961. He retired as Communications VP for Essex in 1998. He currently serves as Allen County Historian.

Although his professional life has been in the business world, his passion has been historical conservation and research, with a special interest in the canal system that came into being in Indiana in the 1800s. He is the author of numerous books and magazine articles, and a contributor to books by other authors. His series of books on the Wabash & Erie Canal includes "Wabash & Erie Canal Notebook II: Cass, Carroll and Tippecanoe Counties."

"His activities with various museums and historical societies make him highly qualified to guide our canal organization in its quest to become an outstanding depository of canal-related documents," said Dan Mc- Cain, president of Carroll County Wabash & Erie Canal Inc. "His knowledge of canal history, communication techniques, museum methods of preservation and cataloging, and his contacts both statewide and nation-wide in fields of historical research and the canal era are assets the Canal Association values highly. It is our pleasure and good fortune to have such excellent guidance."

The AASLH awards program was initiated in 1945 to establish and encourage standards of excellence in the collection, preservation, and interpretation of state and local history throughout the United States. The awards not only honor significant achievement in the field of state and local history, but also bring public recognition of the opportunities for small and large organizations, institutions, and programs to make contributions in this arena.

For more information about the awards program, contact AASLH at 615-320-3203, or go to www.aaslh.org. The AASLH is headquartered in Nashville, Tenn.