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For her work on the boards of Preservation North Carolina and Preservation Durham and leadership on preservation projects statewide.
Denise Barnes is an
exceptional statewide leader in preservation. In the 1990s she served on the board of directors of
Preservation Durham and then became its president. The executive director there referred to Denise as the best
chairman that he had ever had.
About the Award
The Ruth Coltrane Cannon Award is North Carolina's most prestigious
preservation award presented for outstanding achievement of statewide
significance in historic preservation in North Carolina.
First given in 1948, the award is named for Ruth Coltrane Cannon,
president of the North Carolina Society for the Preservation of
Antiquities from 1945 to 1956, in recognition of her outstanding
contributions to preservation.
Mrs. Cannon's daughter, Mariam Cannon Hayes of Concord, generously
endowed the Cannon Award in memory of her parents. Mrs. Hayes, who
passed away in 2007, was another great friend to historic preservation
and is also greatly missed.
In 2000, she was elected
to the board of directors of Preservation NC, and by 2004 she had become vice
chair/chairman-elect. As vice
chair, she took a "tour of duty," spending a day with each of the regional
directors and learning what they do.
She attended PNC events, whether in Shelby, Raleigh or Edenton. Unabashedly, she asked friends, family,
colleagues, and acquaintances for financial support for PNC. She'd call legislators on behalf of
preservation issues without hesitation.
She worked with the staff to find solutions for long-term thorny
problems. When an ambassador or diplomat
was needed, Denise was the answer.
That level of commitment
continued as she moved into the position of chair. As chairman, she engaged board members in lively discussion,
not shying away from difficult issues.
She's brought into the organization a number of outstanding new board
members, and she has been a quiet, effective advocate for diversity throughout
her tenure. Denise also has worked
well with the staff, never overstepping appropriate board/staff boundaries.
She didn't let up a bit when her term of office ended; instead, her high level
of commitment continues. During
the last two years as past chairman, she's been an invaluable resource as
advisor and friend to her successor as chair, Lucy Archie, and to the executive
director, helping them both weather extremely difficult years.
Denise is a psychologist with
her own private practice. She
works long hours, but always makes time for preservation. She's has served as
"resident psychologist" for the staff, advising on personnel matters when
needed. She is deeply respected
and admired by her board colleagues and the staff at PNC.
Even though term limits
will require her to step down from the board, Denise has agreed to serve on the
four-person Leadership Team for PNC's 75th Anniversary, a
significant four-year commitment that will help build the capacity of
Preservation North Carolina to do more and better preservation work throughout
North Carolina.
Actually, her commitment
to preservation goes even further.
She's a member of PNC's Heritage Club, a select group of individuals who
have made provisions for PNC through planned giving. And, of course, she actively encourages others to do the
same.
It's hard to imagine anyone who's had more
statewide impact in preservation during the last decade than Denise Barnes.
2010 Preservation Awards
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