New Carlisle historian, Dave McWhorter, can attest that sometimes great things do come in small packages, or at least in yellow manila envelopes. In October, McWhorter discovered one of his greatest honors tucked into a big manila envelope he found on his porch.

The Vice-President of the New Carlisle Historical Society, McWhorter’s passion for history and research won him first place in the 2016 “I Found it in the Archives” contest sponsored by the Society of Ohio Archivists. Unknown to him, the news of his achievement went all the way to the Ohio Statehouse.

“I came home one day and saw this shiny, yellow envelope on my porch. I thought, ‘What in the world? I did not order from Ebay or Amazon, so I shouldn’t have anything here!’ When I opened it up I was completely surprised and blown away!”

What McWhorter found was a copy of House Resolution No. 519, sponsored by Rep. Kyle Koehler (Ohio’s 79th District) and passed by the House of Representatives of Ohio’s 131st General Assembly.

The resolution congratulates McWhorter for winning first place in the “I Found It in the Archives” contest. It also recognizes him for his “many significant contributions to the preservation of America’s heritage and Ohio’s colorful and exciting past.”

The resolution further states McWhorter’s “decisive leadership and unfaltering dedication” guarantees the past will not be forgotten. It also mentions by “willingly giving of his time, energy, and abilities far beyond what was required or expected” McWhorter has “earned the respect and gratitude of his peers and his community, (and) shown himself to be a concerned and responsible citizen who has admirably helped sustain the history of the New Carlisle area.”

McWhorter was also named “one of Ohio’s finest historians.”

“I was dumbfounded at first,” laughs McWhorter, “It’s so great to be recognized in such a way ...I mean, ‘Wow’ is all I can say!”

McWhorter is especially pleased and proud the New Carlisle Historical Society is mentioned in the resolution too.

What makes the story even better is McWhorter has never met Rep. Kyle Koehler in person.

“For someone I’ve never met to take the time to (officially) recognize me for doing something I love just blows me away. It means a lot. I hope I can meet (Rep. Koehler) and personally thank him someday.”

In the meantime, McWhorter plans to continue his research and work to find and preserve New Carlisle and Clark County’s fascinating history.