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U of Pittsburgh prof named History Channel’s teacher of the year

A local educator’s work to preserve area history is receiving national attention.

Paul Newman, a University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown professor and social historian, has been named the History Channel’s “Save Our History Teacher of the Year” for his work in history preservation.
“I am both humbled and honored to get it,” Newman said.

As a historian, Newman said he is interested in those who were not making headlines in history.

“I look for the average person going through extraordinary circumstances,” he said.

That may be what led the local history buff to Northern Cambria, where he has been working with 15 high school students on a Vietnam War documentary.

With the help of Northern Cambria social studies teacher Karen Bowman, Newman and the students have been working on a one-hour film about local Vietnam veterans.

The documentary, funded by a $10,000 History Channel grant, includes interviews with more than 20 local veterans. Filming has taken place in Johnstown, Ebensburg, Northern Cambria, Windber and Washington, D.C.
Read entire article at http://www.dailyamerican.com