Museum Village Founders Michael and Henriella Perry Receive 2010 Donald R. Myers Humanitarian Award

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2010—Michael and Henriella Perry of Wayne County, West Virginia, have been chosen by the Development District Association of Appalachia (DDAA) to receive the 2010 Donald R. Myers Humanitarian Award.

The award was dedicated by the DDAA in 2009 in memory of Donald Myers, who was the executive director of the Ohio Mid-Eastern Governments Association and president of the Eastern Ohio Development Alliance. Known as a dedicated public servant and champion of the people of Appalachia, Myers exemplified the humanitarian spirit the award was created to recognize and honor.

The Perrys were recognized by the DDAA at its 2010 annual conference for constructing a museum village in Huntington, West Virginia, that exhibits how Appalachian pioneers lived and sustained their families. Called the Heritage Farm Museum and Village, it is where the Perry family and the museum village's employees and volunteers demonstrate the daily life and values of Appalachian settlers.

The museum village has been recognized as a prime Appalachian destination by National Geographic Traveler magazine and honored by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution with an award for historic preservation.