Zeisberger Heckewelder award winners announced
NEW PHILADELPHIA – Five community leaders will be honored in June as the latest recipients of the Zeisberger Heckewelder awards.
For 45 years, this annual Tuscarawas County tradition has recognized exemplary citizens with the award named for the 18th-century missionaries who founded Schoenbrunn Village.
This year’s winners are Rita McPeak of Uhrichsville, Wilma Mullet, executive director of the Tuscarawas Art Partnership, John Ourant of Newcomerstown, Jacquie Starcher Price of the Community Center of Southern Tuscarawas, and Tammi Shrum, site director of Historic Zoar Village and Fort Laurens.
The Tuscarawas County Historical Society will recognize the recipients at a June 9 banquet at Union Hill Church in Sugarcreek. Reservations and payment are due by May 29.
PRESS RELEASE:
The Tuscarawas County Historical Society is honored to announce its 2026 Zeisberger Heckewelder Medal Winners. They are Rita McPeak of Uhrichsville, Wilma Mullet, executive director of the Tuscarawas Art Partnership, John Ourant of Newcomerstown, Jacquie Starcher Price of the Community Center of Southern Tuscarawas, and Tammi Shrum, site director of Historic Zoar Village and Fort Laurens. A banquet honoring the recipients will be held on Tuesday, June 9 beginning at 6 p.m. at the Union Hill Church, 7877 Union Hill Rd NW, Sugarcreek. Cost for the banquet is $30. Reservations are required and must be received along with payment by May 29.
Rita McPeak is a 1975 graduate of Claymont High School, who on a visit to her hometown in 2012, saw a need to help revitalize the area. She started Clay City Development LLC after purchasing the old Virginia’s Tea Room building and began remodeling. She then purchased the old Twin City Hardware and 126 E. 3rd Street buildings. These have also been remodeled. She has volunteered extensively for the efforts for the Clay Capital Heritage Center and the Panhandle Passage Park. Rita continues to work for the good of the local community. Her support for the Clay Capital Heritage Center includes serving on the Clay Advisory Board for over a decade, volunteering at fundraisers like the Children’s Queen’s Tea, serving on the museum design team, and contributing financially to the project. She was recognized as the museum’s “Clayworker of the Year” in 2017.
Wilma Mullet has been the executive director of the Tuscarawas Arts Partnership for the past eight years. She oversees the daily administrative duties, grant writing, program development, and arrangements for funding of programs and artists. Wilma has been the co-chair of New Philadelphia’s Art on the Alley since 2019. She developed and administers the Adalante Arts Camp with instruction in graphic arts, photography, culinary arts, dance, and music. Wilma created the “Arts Signing Day” for high school students pursuing post-secondary education and careers in the performing and visual arts and the Arts Teacher of the Year program. She has overseen the financing and installation of sculptures celebrating local history and character across the county’s towns and villages. Wilma was recognized by the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum as a “Leading Lady of Tuscarawas County” and serves on New Philadelphia’s City Design and Review Board which strives to preserve and highlight the historical and architectural history of the downtown area.
John Ourant is a graduate of Newcomerstown High School and a Vietnam Veteran, serving in the United States Navy. In his vocation as the director of the Ourant Funeral Home from 1984 to 2017, he was a comfort to many in the community. Beyond this role, he has served the Newcomerstown area in many organizations. John has been a member of the Newcomerstown Lions Club, on the board of Newcomerstown Little League, a member of the Loyal Order of the Moose, the Elks Lodge, and the American Legion. As a member of the Elks, John helps distribute food baskets for needy families and places flags on fallen members’ graves throughout Coshocton, Guernsey, and Tuscarawas Counties. He serves on the Newcomerstown scholarship committee and helps with investments for furthering education. John is the vice-president of the Newcomerstown Community Improvement Corporation. In this role he has worked through events and programs for the betterment of the community but never seeks attention for his contributions. John served on the board of the Newcomerstown Library for twenty-one years. He was involved in the planning and building of a new facility. He has also served on the Newcomerstown Chamber of Commerce. John served as president of the Newcomerstown Historical Society, wearing many hats. He oversaw the operation of two museums, took reservations for events, gave tours of the museum, and aided in the financial decisions.
Jacquie Starcher Price grew up in Port Washington and has always been interested in helping her neighbors. Jacquie wanted to create a community center to provide programming, services, and a point of connection for those living in the southern part of Tuscarawas County. She was able to secure funding to purchase an empty church building in Port Washington and set up a non-profit to create The Community Center of Southern Tuscarawas. Today Jacquie Price is the executive director. Some of the activities at The Center include exercise and walking programs, line dancing classes, a farmer’s market, beginner sewing classes, grief support groups, and bread making classes. Besides her work at The Center, Jacquie is also behind the scenes helping in other ways. She writes grants for community projects, is involved in community clean-up days, and has raised funds for Christmas lighting. She also concentrates on improving access to health care for Southern Tuscarawas County residents.
Tammi Shrum works in Tuscarawas County in the public history field and toward historic preservation in the county. She is the site director for Historic Zoar Village and Fort Laurens, where she has worked for preservation, interpretation, and expanding public engagement at these sites to promote the area’s rich historic legacy. Before assuming her role at Zoar in 2015, Tammi had previous experience at Fort Laurens through the county Convention and Visitors Bureau and as director of the J. E. Reeves Victorian Home and Carriage House Museum. She played a key role to have Historic Zoar Village designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior in 2016. Her accomplishments at Zoar include the development of the “Zoar and the Presidents” school program which won the Ohio Museum Association Best in Education and Outreach Award. She has also curated the “Best of Zoar” exhibit in the Town Hall, created the Autumn Ghost Tours, developed the Zoar Bicentennial traveling exhibit, created the visiting exhibit program for the Bimeler House Museum, procured grants for Zoar and Fort Laurens, and created a Zoar Christmas Tour event. The restoration of the Bimeler Cabin in Zoar has earned a Preservation Merit Award from the State Historic Preservation Office.
The Historical Society cordially invites you to the Zeisberger Heckwelder Banquet to honor these individuals who have exemplified outstanding service to their communities and enhanced the understanding of Tuscarawas County History.