ARLINGTON, VA, 15 JUNE 2012: The National Genealogical Society presented its
annual awards at the 2012 Family History Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio,
9–12 May 2012. Each year, these awards are presented to organizations and
individuals who have made outstanding contributions to NGS programs or have
performed outstanding work in the field of genealogy, history, biography, or
heraldry.
 |
Kay Haviland Freilich
Photo by Scott Stewart |
Kay Haviland Freilich, cgsm,
cglsm, was named a Fellow
of the National Genealogical Society for her outstanding volunteer work on
the Society’s behalf. Kay is a respected teacher, editor, author, and lecturer.
She also serves on the editorial staff of the NGS Magazine, has contributed to many NGS conference committees,
and was program chair for the Valley Forge family
history conference in 1997.
The President’s Citation was presented to Melinde Lutz Byrne, cgsm, fasg, in recognition of
her assistance with NGS’ video series, Voices of Genealogy; her ongoing work with
the NGS Quarterly’s centennial
celebration; and her work as an NGSQ
co-editor.
The Family History Writing Contest award is
presented to an individual who submits a scholarly article with a compiled
family history of at least three generations using a broad variety of research
resources. The 2012 contest attracted such a high caliber of entries that the
judges chose two recipients: F. Warren
Bitner, cgsm, for
“Without Land, Occupation, Rights, or Marriage Privilege: the Buettner Family
from Germany to America,” and Michael Hait, cgsm, for “In the Shadow of Rebellions.” These
articles will be published in upcoming editions of the NGSQ.
 |
Ann Hilke, Michael Hait and Melinde Lutz Byrne
Photo by Scott Stewart |
The Filby Award for
Genealogical Librarianship is awarded to a
librarian with at least five years’ experience whose primary focus is genealogy
and local history and who is employed in a public, academic, or special
library. This year’s award, and a $1,000 prize underwritten by ProQuest, went
to Debbi Lyon of the Blasco Memorial Library in Erie, Pennsylvania.
The Filby Award is named for the late P. William Filby, former director
of the Maryland Historical Society and author of many core
genealogical reference tools that genealogists have relied on for decades.
Since 2006, the award has been sponsored by ProQuest. In
addition to their sponsorship of the prize, ProQuest also acts as underwriting
sponsor and key partner for our pre-conference librarians’ day program.
The Shirley Langdon Wilcox Award for Exemplary Volunteerism was awarded
to Charles “Chuck” S. Mason Jr., cgsm, a longtime dedicated
volunteer at the NGS office in Arlington,
Virginia. Named in honor of a
past society president and continuing dedicated servant of NGS, this award
highlights the sort of selfless, dedicated, and reliable service that is
necessary in any genealogical society, whatever its size or place.
The Distinguished Service Awards were
presented to the following three individuals: Patricia R. Baars for her longstanding and dedicated service as a
grader for the NGS Home Study Course. Graders play a vital role in the success
and utility of our NGS American Genealogy: Home Study Course. Mr. Clair Crawford and Dr. Thomas Shawker for their six-year
effort to make the AMA Deceased Physician Research Service a success.
The Certificate of Appreciation was
presented to Sharon McKinnis. Since
December 2010, Sharon
has been scanning the Member Ancestor Charts (MACs). Sharon is extremely dedicated, coming to the
NGS office twice weekly and working five hours a day on this project. After the
charts are scanned, they are uploaded to the NGS website for use by NGS
members. Since Sharon
began volunteering, more than 17,000 new charts have become available on the
NGS website.
The NGS Award of Merit was awarded to Marvin Wilhite, for his exceptional
volunteer effort and dedicated service to patrons at the Marshall [Missouri]
Public Library’s Genealogy Room.
The NGS Genealogy Hall of Fame honors
individuals who, during their lifetime, made significant contributions to
genealogy and set the high standards by which we work today. This year, Josephine Cosette Mayou Stillman Frost
(1864-1942) was elected to the NGS Genealogy Hall of Fame. During the first
four decades of the twentieth century, she was one of the most important
contributors to New York
genealogy. Frost was nominated by the New York Genealogical and Biographical
Society.
The Milton Rubincam Youth Awards are
intended to encourage and recognize youth as the next generation of family
historians. The Senior Rubincam Award recipient was Nathan Thomas Wheeler of Georgia;
the Junior Rubincam Award recipient was Oliver
Patterson of California.
The NGSQ Award for Excellence, for an
outstanding article published in the NGSQ
in the previous calendar year, was presented to Teri D. Tilman, cgsm,
of Natchez, Mississippi,
for the article “Using Indirect Evidence and Linguistic Analysis to Trace Polin
Ries of New Orleans.”
 |
Ann Hilke with Susan Griffis
Photo by Scott Stewart |
The
award of a scholarship for NGS’s advanced studies course, American Genealogy: The Home Study Course, is intended to encourage
those pursuing a career in genealogy and who have demonstrated serious interest
in genealogy. This year’s recipient was Susan
Griffis of Indiana.
The Award for Excellence: Genealogy and Family
History Book is presented for a family genealogy or family history book
that serves to foster scholarship and/or otherwise advances or promotes
excellence in genealogy. This year’s recipients were Christopher Child and Scott
Steward of the New England Historic Genealogical Society for The Descendants of Judge John Lowell of
Newburyport, Massachusetts.
The Award for Excellence: Genealogical Methods
and Sources is presented for a book or article that discusses genealogical
methods and sources. This year’s recipient was Paul K. Graham, cgsm,
for Georgia Land Lottery Research, published
by the Georgia Genealogical Society.
The NGS Newsletter Competition recognizes
the hard work, long hours, and creativity that editors devote to their
newsletters. This year’s categories and winners are:
Major Genealogical or Historical Society Newsletter
Winner: Ohio Genealogy News, Ohio
Genealogical Society
Honorable Mention: Wisconsin State
Genealogical Society Newsletter, Wisconsin
State Genealogical
Society
County or Local Genealogical or Historical Society Newsletter
Winner: PastFinder, Silicon Valley Computer Genealogy Group
Honorable Mention: The Missouri
Patriot, Missouri
Society—Sons of the Revolution 1776
Family Association Newsletter
Winner: The Timen Stiddem Society Newsletter, The Timen Stiddem Society
Honorable Mention: Our Endicott Heritage Trail,
Endecott-Endicott Family Association
The Award of Honor was presented to the Ohio Genealogical Society and the Hamilton County Chapter of OGS for
their dedication and sustained service in support of the NGS Family History
Conference in Cincinnati
in May, and to Kenny Burck, Local
Host Chair. Certificates of Appreciation
were given to seven individuals for their volunteer service to help make the
conference a success. NGS would like to recognize the tireless work of the
following volunteers, both in the months leading up to and during the
conference: Deb Cyprych, Barbara Gargiulo, Jean Nathan, Sandy St. Martin, Liz
Stratton, Patricia Moseley Van Skaik, and Jean Woll.
Founded
in 1903, the National Genealogical Society is dedicated to genealogy education,
high research standards, and the preservation of genealogical records. The
Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit is the premier national society for
everyone, from the beginner to the most advanced family historian, seeking
excellence in publications, educational offerings, research guidance, and
opportunities to interact with other genealogists.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Republication
of UpFront articles is permitted and encouraged for
non-commercial purposes without express permission from NGS.
Please drop us a note telling us where and when you are using the article.
Express written permission is required if you wish to republish UpFront articles
for commercial purposes. You may send a request for express written permission
to UpFront@ngsgenealogy.org. All
republished articles may not be edited or reworded and must contain the
copyright statement found at the bottom of each UpFront article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Suggestions for topics for future UpFront with NGS posts are always welcome. Please send any
suggested topics to UpfrontNGS@mosaicrpm.com
.jpg)
.jpg){kind=link}
