COEUR d'ALENE - When Don Pischner gets started on the history of Idaho's statehood, get comfortable, because he is passionate about it.

That passion is a likely reason Pischner was recently appointed to the Idaho State Historical Society.

"I feel like it is quite an honor to get appointed," Pischner said Friday, adding he has been waiting 18 years for the chance to represent North Idaho on the board of trustees.

Pischner has been a history buff since he was in high school. He studied the history of Idaho's statehood for decades. He can tell you who wrote the constitution, why the state is shaped the way it is, and how the Historical Society itself was formed years before Idaho became a state.

Pischner said he had to apply for the position held by Robert Singletary and Judy Meyer for the past 18 years.

Now he has finally been appointed for a six-year term.

Pischner, a former state representative who served four terms in the House, said the board of trustees meets four times a year to make policy decisions for the state agency.

"This is really a policy position," he said, adding the society manages several programs, so there is plenty of work to do.

The Historical Society preserves and provides access to irreplaceable state-owned historic collections including 250,000 artifacts, 500,000 photos, 40,000 maps and architectural drawings, 60 historic buildings and 20,000 archeological items.

Some of its key programs include capitol curation and exhibition, records management through the state archives, operation of cultural facilities of the state including the Idaho State Historical Museum and Old Idaho Penitentiary, and management of the programs under the National Historic Preservation Act, including the National Register of Historic Places.

Pischner said the society has 50 employees and is currently engaged in a $7 million building expansion and $3 million exhibit expansion.

"Basically the society is there for the whole state," Pischner said. "They are also there to assist and support local museums."

Pischner said the society is also in charge of the historical information signs scattered along Idaho's highways.

"Much of what we do is guided by state statutes," he added.

In the 1980s, Pischner served as a board member of the North Idaho Museum, and when he was in the Legislature he worked closely with the society on several issues.

He is a third-generation Idahoan whose grandparents settled north of Hayden Lake during the 1890s.

"I grew up in Coeur d'Alene and had that anti-Boise thing for a while," he said, but added that changed once he became a legislator and realized how unhealthy that was to the state.

"So I spent a lot of time trying to bridge the gap between North Idaho and Boise," he said. "I just felt we ought to be Idaho, just one state.

"If I can bring anything as a trustee of the Historical Society, I would continue to bridge that gap."

Pischner said in his off time he has put together a presentation on how Idaho got its shape, and is willing to present to small groups if they are interested.

Pischner can be reached at 667-5770.