SOHS Hires Ron Kramer as Executive Director

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The Southern Oregon Historical Society Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that Ron Kramer will be joining the Society as Executive Director as of April 1. “Ron’s association with the Historical Society goes back many years,” says Doug McGeary, President of the SOHS Board of Trustees. “His proven skills for building successful non-profit organizations make Ron both a good fit and a natural choice.” 

Over the span of 38 years, Ron transformed Jefferson Public Radio from a 10-watt college radio station to a 23-station public radio network serving Oregon and California, one of the largest in the nation. Along with Dunbar Carpenter, he co-founded KDRV-TV, Channel 12, in 1979 and in 1995 turned an inactive company into jeffnet.org, southern Oregon’s first Internet Service Provider and the nation’s first ISP operated by a public radio entity. He also spearheaded the purchase and restoration of the historic Cascade Theater in Redding, transforming it into a major community performing arts center. 

Although Ron had semi-retired, he says the opportunity to assist SOHS as it continues to chart its future was too good to resist. “One of my undergraduate degrees was in history, and I have always been both a fan and supporter of SOHS. I have been very impressed with the way in which the Society has continued to move forward these past few years while facing many challenges, and I believe I can help it to evolve into a historical society that preserves the past and serves the present, while anticipating and preparing for the future.” 

“Ron is the perfect person for this time and place,” says McGeary. “He is an outstanding public servant, and with his vision, knowledge, and background, he can ably fulfill the essential role of Executive Director as the Society moves from the realm of maintenance to one of development.” 

McGeary continues, “We would like to invite the community to join us in welcoming Ron to the helm of SOHS as he steers us through the times ahead!” 

Publisher’s Note : I have known Ron since I helped him launch JEFFNET.org (maybe 20 years ago?) and I am excited to see him come out of retirement to run SOHS. We should expect great things to happen there that we can all get behind. Honoring our past as we build our future is one of the things that makes Oregon a great place to raise a family and grow your business.

Jim Teece
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