Comstock Foundation for History and Culture Transitions a New Executive Director

VIRGINIA CITY, NV--(Marketwired - April 21, 2015) - The Comstock Foundation for History and Culture. (the "Foundation") today announced that Ms. Pamela Abercrombie will become the new executive director of the Foundation. Ms. Abercrombie will succeed Ron James, who helped organize the 501(c)(3) organization in 2013. Beginning on May 11, Mr. James and Ms. Abercrombie will share the administration of the Comstock Foundation during the summer, after which Mr. James will fully retire from his current position and join the Foundation's board.

Ms. Abercrombie brings fourteen years of nonprofit service and experience, including eight years as an education director for a rural Nevada tribe, where she helped double the department's budget and triple its program and service capacity. In 2012, Ms. Abercrombie completed a master's degree in public administration and most recently, working for Community Chest in Virginia City and volunteering and serving as a board member for St. Mary's Art Center as well as serving on the board for the Foundation.

"Working in Storey County has allowed me to meet and work with some amazing people," said Abercrombie. "This position presents an opportunity to use my nonprofit experience and administrative skills in conjunction with my love for history and culture. This is an exciting time for Virginia City and the Comstock. I can imagine many things that the Comstock Foundation can accomplish in the future."

"I am very pleased that Pamela has agreed to manage the Comstock Foundation as we begin broadening the effectiveness of these critical endeavors," said De Gasperis. "I am thrilled with Ron's accomplishments in such a short period since we founded the Foundation and I am certain that Pam will broaden and grow this wonderful vision. There is so much more that we can and will do to help save the fragile historic structures of this remarkable historic Landmark."

The Virginia City National Historic Landmark District is one of the largest in the nation. It includes over 14,000 acres and the communities of Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City, and Dayton. Mining has occurred every decade within the district since gold was first discovered in 1849 near what is now Dayton.

"Since this is one of the most popular historic sites in Nevada, maintaining its aging buildings is critical to the regional economy and the State," said James, who administered the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office from 1983 to 2012 and served as chair of the National Historic Landmark Committee from 2009 to 2013. James has published extensively on Western history and was inducted into the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame in 2014. "The Comstock Foundation has played a role in the preservation of the Landmark. I am delighted that Pamela is bringing her talents, abilities, and enthusiasm to our institution, as we all look forward to completing many more critical projects," he added

"Following in the footsteps of such an influential Nevada historian is an honor and I embrace this opportunity to move the Foundation into its next phase," added Ms. Abercrombie, who also earned an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2001, focusing much of her studies on Nevada and the West.

The Comstock Foundation has undertaken several restoration projects beginning in 2013. Besides saving the Upper Yellow Jacket Hoist and Ore Chute in Gold Hill, the Foundation contributed to preservation projects involving the Fourth Ward School Museum and the Comstock cemeteries, among many others. The Foundation is also helping with the ongoing restoration of the Gold Hill Depot, St. Mary's Art and Retreat Center, and the Donovan Mill. Substantially all of the funding for this work comes from Comstock Mining, which donates a 1 percent royalty from its Storey County operation's to the Comstock Foundation for the advancement of historic preservation and other aspects of cultural development within the historic district. In addition to serving as the chair of the Comstock Foundation Board, Mr. De Gasperis is the CEO of Comstock Mining.

Donations to the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture, a 501(c)(3) organization, are tax deductible to the extent allowable under the law. The Foundation's mission is to encourage the preservation and promotion of historic and cultural resources within the Comstock Historic District. The District was granted National Historic Landmark status in 1961. The Comstock Lode played a critical role in the history of mining between 1859 and 1942, producing an enormous amount of gold and silver and defining the cutting edge of mining technology during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

For information about the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture and its projects go to www.comstockfoundation.org. In addition, contact Ron James, executive director of the Comstock Foundation, at 775-443-7803 or Pamela Abercrombie, executive director-designee, at 775-720-7445.