Wang wins State Archives award
— Photo from the New York State Education Department
Alan Wang holds his certificate, flanked by his parents, to his right — his father, Ing-Nang Wang, and his mother, Chih Hui Chen — and, to his left, Laura Chodos and his teacher, Daniel McBride. At the far right is Thomas J. Ruller, New York State archivist and chief executive officer of the New York State Archives Partnership Trust.
GUILDERLAND — Alan Wang, a junior at Guilderland High School, won a State Archives award for his paper on the relationship between Lewis Henry Morgan, an American anthropologist, and General Ely S. Parker, the last Grand Sachem of the Iroquois, and the influence of their work on Karl Marx.
The New York State Archives and Archives Partnership Trust presented the award — the 2018 Laura and Robert Chodos Award for Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records, Grades 9-12 — and cash to Wang this October. The State Archives also recognized his teacher, Daniel McBride.
Wang conducted his research using collections from the University of Rochester, Union College, and the New York State Archives. His paper demonstrated extensive use of primary sources, in-depth historical analysis, and original thought, according to a release from the State Education Department; he closely examined the events that brought Morgan and Parker together and the impact that relationship had on New York State history and the development of Marxist ideology.
The Student Research Awards are named for Board of Regents Emerita Laura Chodos and her late husband, Dr. Robert Chodos, who created an endowment to encourage students to explore the wealth of historical records in New York State. The awards are presented annually to a student, or group of students, in New York State who have made outstanding use of historical records in their research.
The annual Archives Awards program takes place every October, during American Archives Month, and recognizes outstanding efforts in archives and records management work in New York State by a broad range of individuals and organizations.