A Celebration of Chicago Excellence.

On Wednesday, June 8, 2016 the Chicago History Museum (CHM) hosted the 22ND annual Making History Awards. Over 450 guests attended this gala held at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago.

The event paid tribute to the positive and enduring impact of some of our city’s extraordinary leaders. The night also raised a record $1 million to benefit the education programs of the Chicago History Museum.

“Perhaps more than any previous Making History Awards, this year demonstrated the strong and diverse leadership that has made Chicago the world-class city that it is today. We are very grateful for the exceptional community-wide support we received in this record breaking year,” said CHM President Gary Johnson.

Hosted by Chicago Museum Trustee and news journalist, Ali Velshi, the night included award presentations and impassioned speeches from the 2016 recipients.

This year’s awardees included:

• Frank M. Clark – The Marshall Field Making History Award for Distinction in Corporate Leadership and Innovation, presented by Anne Pramaggiore
• Art Johnston – The Jane Addams Making History Award for Distinction in Social Service, presented by Laura Ricketts • Michael H. Moskow – The Harold Washington Making History Award for Distinction in Public Service, presented by Lester Crown
• Shirley W. Ryan – The Bertha Honoré Palmer Making History Award for Distinction in Civic Leadership, presented by Andrew McKenna on behalf of Marca Bristo
• JPMorgan Chase accepted by Melissa Bean, Chairman of the Midwest – The Cyrus McCormick Making History Award for Historic Corporate Achievement, presented by Motorola Solutions

The Chicago History Museum inaugurated the Making History Awards in 1995 to provide vital financial support to the museum’s operations and programs. Since then the event has honored 100 Chicagoans and 10 Chicago companies whose enduring contributions to our community have made Chicago a better and more vibrant place to live.

ABOUT THE CHICAGO HISTORY MUSEUM

The Chicago History Museum is situated on ancestral homelands of the Potawatomi people, who cared for the land until forced out by non-Native settlers. Established in 1856, the Museum is now at 1601 N. Clark Street in Lincoln Park, its third location. As a major museum and research center for Chicago and U.S. history, the Chicago History Museum strives to be a destination for learning, inspiration and civic engagement. Through dynamic exhibitions, tours, publications, special events and programming, the Museum connects people to Chicago’s history and to each other. To share Chicago stories, the Museum collects and preserves millions of artifacts, documents, images and other items that are relevant to the city’s history. The Museum gratefully acknowledges the support of the Chicago Park District on behalf of the people of Chicago.