Jean Ann Ables Flatt of Terrell, a longtime advocate of preserving local and Texas history, has received the Best of East Texas Award for her work.

The award is sponsored by Best of East Texas Publishing of Lufkin. It was formerly sponsored by the East Texas Historical Association.

Bob Bowman, who owns Best of East Texas Publishing with his wife Doris, presented the award Tuesday night before the Terrell City Council.

Pervious winners of this award include Bill O’Neal of Carthage, Eliza Bishop of Crockett, Ralph Wooster of Beaumont, Mattie Dellinger of Center, James Wilkins of Tyler, Max Lale of Marshall, Willie Earl Tindall of San Augustine and Dan Utley of Austin.

Mrs. Flatt has been chairman of the Kaufman Country Historical Commission, historian for the First United Methodist Church of Terrell, member, director and President of the Terrell Heritage Society and a volunteer genealogist at the Terrell Terrell Public Library. She has also served on the Texas Historical Commission.

“For over 20 years, she has worked tirelessly to preserve the history of Terrell, Kaufman County and Texas. Her efforts were recognized by a proclamation of a day in her honor in 1996 and, under her leadership, the County Historical Commission has received the Distinguished Service Award of the Texas Historical Commission every year since 1995,” said Bowman.

“Jean Ann just doesn't preserve history. She brings it to life by acting it out in costume to make it understandable to children, and she writes a quarterly newsletter for the Kaufman County Historical Commission, and has written booklets about various aspects of the county.

The award is shaped like an old-fashioned water pump. Bowman said it symbolizes the role of historians like Flatt to extract history from the East Texas’ history aquifer.