Chillicothe, Ross County, & the Scioto Valley — The annual meeting of the Ross County Historical Society featured an effort by Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center students to record the personal narratives of veterans, among other recognitions.
The gathering at the Ross County Heritage Center included the “First Capital Historical Awards,” scholarship recipients, the second annual “Ross County Contributors,” and more, on April 27th, 2026.
One recipient of the First Capital Historical Awards was Tea McCaulla, who teaches the “Voice of Freedom” class at the Career & Technology Center. That involves students video-recording an interview with each veteran, and anything they want to bring in, in a school studio – and then hand-delivering the recording and documentation to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
One Vietnam veteran had never worn his uniform again after being accosted when he returned home, and also had bad dreams. But after the interview, his dreams stopped.
And after his interview, Chester Collins was inspired to write a book about his WWII military experience, “Life of a Sailor.” (Find his entry in the Library of Congress website.)
Some of McCaulla’s student have also participated in “Honor Flights” where they chaperone veterans who fly to Washington to visit national memorials.
Her program welcomes veterans to approach them; you can contact the school to learn more. Hear her in her own words in the below video interview.
The other recipient of the First Capital Historical Awards was Globe Furniture, for their historical display that celebrated their 120th anniversary. See my October story on that, including a video tour of the display.
The Ross County Historical Society has a few events each month. General / President Grant recently returned, and the very popular annual “Archaeology Day” featuring all aspects of local geologic, historic, and prehistoric artifacts is 1 to 5pm this Saturday.
Watch for my side story with snapshots of various aspects of the annual meeting and the Ross County Heritage Center.
