Wilmington, Delaware
Donn, the archivist for the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington and a Delaware attorney, served from 1994 to 2002 on the National Genealogical Society governing board, and continues to chair its Genealogical Standards Committee. He holds both Certified Genealogical InstructorSM and Certified GenealogistSM credentials, and has been a trustee of the Board for Certification of Genealogists since 1992. He is a former president of the Delaware Genealogical Society and founding editor of its journal, a columnist for Ancestry magazine and the Philadelphia Irish Edition, author of Tracing Your Irish Roots, a Guide for Beginners, and associate editor and a contributor to Professional Genealogy: A Manual for Researchers, Writers, Editors, Lecturers and Librarians.
In December 2002 the Delaware Chapter of the American Planning Association awarded Donn its Peter Larson Memorial Achievement Award. Donn, a certified planner and the retired planning director of the City of Wilmington, is the first recipient of the award, established two years ago to recognize persons who have made significant contributions to Delaware planning. "It is personally very meaningful," Donn said, "because it memorializes Pete Larson, the first professional planner in Delaware and Wilmington's first planning director, who was my mentor when I started in the field in the 1960s, and also because the nomination came from the Wilmington Planning Department staff, a number of whom worked for me when I was the director 20 years ago."
Throughout the development of this web site, Donn has consistently supported the efforts of our volunteers. Without his advice, his extensive knowledge, and his generosity, the effort to place all the pre -1890 baptismal and marriage records for the entire Diocese of Wilmington on line would have been exceedingly difficult, if not impossible.