February 20, 2000                                                    For Immediate Release

Academic and popular historians must put aside their differences and work together, said Peter C. Newman, winner of the Pierre Berton Award (2000).

Presented annually for distinguished achievement in popularizing Canadian History, the award was presented yesterday to Mr. Newman by Pierre Berton at Toronto’s Albany Club. The award was established in 1994 by Winnipeg-based Canada’s National History Society.

"Academic historians perform the invaluable function of recording the past, while popular historians interpret the present in the hope of casting some light on the future," Newman told an audience of 120 attending a dinner in his honour. "The two disciplines reinforce each other and both are essential."

In presenting the award, Pierre Berton paid homage to Mr. Newman’s prolific writing career with more than 20 books published. "The award is well deserved," said Mr. Berton.

Canada’s National History Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to popularizing Canadian History. Its goals are to increase Canadians’ awareness and appreciation of their heritage. The Award dinner was sponsored by the Historica Foundation of Canada.

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