December 17, 2003 - His grandfather started working in the paper mill in 1918, his father in 1937, and a young Stephen Cernek worked at the Hudson River Mill - purchased by International Paper in 1898 - for five summers himself in the 1970s. It was no wonder then, with a total of 88 years among them, that Dr. Stephen R. Cernek, of Newbury, professor of social sciences and humanities at Nashua's Daniel Webster College, has focused his research efforts on the history of the paper industry.

Professor Cernek received a grant this past summer from the New York Humanities Council to mount a public exhibition consisting of prints, photographs and maps that document the history and development of the Hudson River Mill, a paper mill located in the southern Adirondacks that began operations in 1869. The Hudson River Pulp Company was the first large-scale manufacturer of paper made from wood pulp, and by 1888 its Palmer Falls mill was considered the largest newsprint mill in North America. Purchase by International Paper in 1898, the Hudson River Mill was one of the Company's most important facilities through the middle decades of the 20th century and served as its principal office through the 1930s. The mill was closed in the fall of 2002 after 132 years of continuous operation.

Professor Cernek also received a second grant from the New York State Archives to work with a collection of 18,000 Hudson River Mill photographs and negatives. The George Holland Collection documents work and technological innovation at the Hudson River Mill in the period of 1942-1976, as well as employee activities in the local community. The photographs, which were taken by the Hudson River Mill's director of public relations for publication in the Mill's monthly newsletter, may well represent the most exhaustive visual document of life and work in a small post-World War II American community. Professor Cernek's research will include digitizing and indexing approximately 5,000 of the images in the collection that will be later prepared for exhibition and publication.

He was also recently the recipient of a grant from the New York State Assembly to be used towards the planning, research, and development of the Hudson River Mill Museum, which he will oversee. Dr. Cernek has been teaching at Daniel Webster College since 1989 and holds a bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. from Ball State University.

The scholarship involved with both of these grant-funded projects builds upon the work Professor Cernek completed during his Fall, 2002, sabbatical.

Daniel Webster College is an independent undergraduate four-year college founded in 1965. With a primary focus on experiential learning, the college prepares students for individual excellence through a commitment to individual attention. The Colleges innovative academic programs in aviation, business management, computer science, information systems, social science, sport management and engineering equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become tomorrows industry leaders. Additionally, DWC offers an EXCEL degree completion program and unique MBA program at both its Nashua and Portsmouth campuses, as well as various certificate and associate degree programs.