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Scarborough history book gets national attention July 1, 2008 Scarborough at 350: Linking the Past to the Present, the comprehensive history of Scarborough produced to commemorate the town's 350th anniversary, has won a first-place award in the National Federation of Press Women Communications Contest. The contest is the most comprehensive international competition for all areas of communications. The award was for book editing and went to Susan Dudley Gold, editor of the 400-page volume. "My goal, and that of the committee in charge of the project, was to present a real-life portrait of the town and its people through the three and one-half centuries of its history. As editor, I wanted to bring the town's history to life in this book-to convey to people today and to future generations what life was like, what people did for fun, how they earned a living, and what challenges they faced," Gold said. In editing the book, she relied on contributions from 77 volunteer writers and dozens of researchers, photographers, and others who provided invaluable insights into life in Scarborough. "The book would not have been possible without the incredible contributions from volunteers," Gold said. The book is "a tremendous achievement" and "a huge, complex job for an editor," according to the judge's comments. "It's obvious how much work and skill went into pulling all of this together and editing it into a cohesive whole." Gold herself wrote several pieces for the book, including an anecdote relating her experiences as one of the first female mail carriers in the state in the 1960s. She also provided family photographs and worked with several committees to produce the history. The Friends of Scarborough 350th, a volunteer committee of townspeople, published the book. Scarborough at 350, which Gold designed and did the production work on, took two years to complete. Gold also received first place in the nonfiction juvenile book category for her book, Tinker v. Des Moines: Free Speech for Students, published by Marshall Cavendish. The volume, part of the Supreme Court Milestones series, focuses on the case that defined students' freedom of expression. Gold has written more than four dozen books for middle school students and teens as well as several books on Maine history. She and her husband, John Gold, own Custom Communications Inc., a publishing and web design firm with offices in Biddeford and Portland. Awards will be presented in September at the 2008 NFPW national conference in Idaho Falls, Idaho. NFPW is an organization of professional journalists and communicators in journalism, public relations, education, publishing, and other fields. For 70 years, it has promoted the highest ethical standards in communications, professional development, youth programs, networking, and protection of First Amendment rights.