Charge from Tompkins County Legislature Chair Michael E. Lane, dated February 5, 2015
The year 2017 will mark 200th anniversary of the creation of Tompkins County by the State of New York. This bicentennial will mark an important milestone in the history of our county, and will become the vantage point from which we can look back to the indigenous occupation, and to the pioneering, settlement and establishment of our county. From the same foothold we can survey the panorama of our modern county, helping to understand how we arrived at where we are, examining the social, economic, environmental and political forces that churned over time to bring us here. And from that very same perspective we can gaze into the future for a glimpse at where we are heading, and how we prepare for those inevitable changes that will come just as they have come over the past two centuries.
Tompkins County is establishing a Bicentennial Commemoration Commission whose task shall be to inform and educate the people of our county and beyond about its rich history and its role in the health, welfare and safety of our residents. It will celebrate the diversity of our populations and will be inclusive of the contributions of all. It will plan and recommend to the County Legislature those events and sponsorships that will serve the serious goal of commemoration and the fun of celebration.
The commemoration shall occur in 2017 over the course of the full year. The Commission will work to include participation by residents in the towns, and villages as well as the city of our county seat.
The Commission shall consist of up to 25 members appointed by the Chair of the Tompkins County Legislature. It shall be co-chaired by the Tompkins County Historian, and the Chair of the Legislature.
| COMMISSION MEMBERSHIP | ||
| Carol Kammen, Tompkins County Historian, Co-Chair | ||
| Michael Lane, Chair of the Tompkins County Legislature, Co-Chair | ||
| George Boyer ~ Susan Currie ~ Bruce Estes | ||
| Rod Howe ~ Marcia Lynch ~ Leslyn McBean-Clairborne | ||
| Joe Mareane ~ Vivien Rose ~ Rosemarie Tucker | ||
| John Wertis ~ Raymond Wheaton | ||
