Three Arlington preservationists received awards at the Tarrant County Historical Commission Summit on October 18th in Fort Worth. The three also received recognition at the Arlington Historical Society’s October Board Meeting and the November 28th Arlington City Council Meeting.
Jacob Browning, Kristina Rumans, Jason Sullivan, and Geraldine Mills
at the 19th annual Tarrant County Historical Commission Summit, held on October 18th
Geraldine Mills received the Susie Pritchett Lifetime Achievement Award in Preservation, which recognizes an individual who has devoted their life to promoting the preservation and contributing to the heritage of Tarrant County. Geraldine was born in Fort Worth and developed an early interest in her family’s history. She attended Arlington High School and studied geology at Arlington State College—now known as UTA. In 1996, Geraldine began volunteering with the Arlington Historical Society. She became their president and, later, their executive director, a role she has had for over 20 years and still holds today. Under Geraldine’s leadership, the Arlington Historical Society maintains the Fielder Museum, Knapp Heritage Park, and the Arlington Heritage Memorial Grounds. In April 2022, the museum grounds were renamed Fielder Museum at Geraldine Mills Heritage Place, honoring Geraldine’s long-time volunteer service and preservation efforts. In addition, she has served as an Arlington Landmark Preservation Commissioner for six years and as President of the Arlington Garden Club.
Jason Sullivan, Kristina Rumans, and Geraldine Mills
at the Arlington Historical Society’s October Board Meeting
Kristina Rumans received the Tom Vandergriff Award, which recognizes an individual for long-term exemplary public/community service contributing to the history of Tarrant County. Kristina was born in Fort Worth and raised in a neighborhood of historic homes, where she developed an early interest in the history of buildings and architecture. She served on the Arlington Preservation Foundation Board for many years, which was Arlington’s first historic marker program. Today, Kristina is active in many organizations, including the Arlington Heritage Memorial Grounds Corporation and the Lucretia Council Cochran Chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She has also served as an Arlington Landmark Preservation Commissioner for more than a decade and has been the long-time chairwoman of the group. Over the last 40 years, Kristina has written numerous applications for local landmarks, historic districts, National Register properties, and Texas Historical Markers in Arlington. In addition, she has contributed to, served as a consultant for, and led many other preservation efforts throughout the city, including ones for historic cemeteries.
Mayor Jim Ross, Jason Sullivan, Geraldine Mills, Kristina Rumans, and Arlington’s Historic Preservation Officer, Jacob Browning, at the November 28th Arlington City Council Meeting
Jason Sullivan received the Debbie Reynolds-Hazen Award, which recognizes an individual younger than 50 years of age who has shown leadership in collecting and preserving the history of Tarrant County. Jason was born in Arlington and recalls that his parents often took him to antique malls when he was young. These adventures instilled an interest in the past and preservation. His interest in local history began a few years ago when he discovered a captivating Texas Historical Marker in Fort Worth. Jason joined the Arlington Historical Society in 2020 and contributed a few articles to their newsletter. He became the newsletter’s editor and primary contributor in 2022. Today, besides his newsletter duties, he serves as an AHS Board Member and manages the Fielder Museum Facebook page. Jason enjoys blogging about local history on his blog and was the editor for the fourth edition of Caddos, Cotton and Cowboys: Essays on Arlington by O.K. Carter. He served as an Arlington Landmark Preservation Commissioner for three years.
Congratulations to the award recipients, and thank you for your contributions to preserving Arlington’s history!
This article was written for the City of Arlington’s website, and is available at the link below:
www.arlingtontx.gov/news/my_arlington_t_x/news_stories/arlington_historical_awards_2023
Blog post by Jason S. Sullivan, 12-01-23
Jason S. Sullivan 