NGS Presents Awards Honoring Editorship and Service to NGS

National Genealogical Society Presents Awards

Honoring Excellence in Newsletter Editorship and Service to NGS

NGS honored excellence in newsletter editorship for genealogical and historical societies and family associations, as well as service to NGS with the presentation of several awards at the Opening Session of the NGS 2018 Family History Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on 2 May 2018. The Opening Session was a keynote presentation, entitled “Coming Along the Towpath: The Erie Canal and the Peopling of the Great Lakes States” by John Philip Colletta, PhD, FUGA, after which NGS President Ben Spratling, JD, presented the following awards.

The President’s Citation

Kenneth H. Thomas Jr. was awarded the President’s Citation. This award is given in recognition of outstanding, continuing, or unusual contributions to the field of genealogy or the Society.

Kenneth H. Thomas Jr. of Decatur, Georgia, received the NGS President’s Citation for his outstanding work writing a weekly column on genealogy for forty years in the Sunday Atlanta Journal-Constitution, one of the largest daily circulation newspapers in the United States. He began this column in May 1977. The current Sunday edition circulation is three hundred thousand. Over the years, Thomas has brought attention to the field of genealogy by writing about the latest news, books, advances in technology, research techniques, conferences, and now DNA. His column is believed to be the longest continuously published genealogy column in the United States.

Each year, the NGS Newsletter Competition recognizes the hard work, long hours, and creativity that editors devote to their newsletters. A panel of three judges reviews each newsletter on material interest, variety, organization, quality of writing and editing, readability, and attractiveness. This year’s categories and winners are:

Family Association Newsletter

Winner:  The Hungerford World Tree, the newsletter of The Hungerford Family Foundation, Inc., in Bonita Springs, Florida, edited by Charles C. Morgan.

Honorable Mention: The Timen Stidden Society Newsletter, the newsletter of The Timen Stiddem Society, a family association whose ancestor was among the seventeenth century settlers of New Sweden (now Wilmington), Delaware, edited by Richard L. Steadham.

Newsletter for a County/Local Genealogical and/or Historical Society for societies with less than 500 members

Winner: The Newsletter of the Irish Family History Forum, the newsletter of the Irish Family History Forum in Long Island, New York, edited by Jim Regan.

Honorable Mention: The South Plains Roots, the newsletter of the South Plains Genealogical Society, Inc., in Lubbock, Texas, edited by Sharon Hall.

NGS also recognized several individuals for their dedicated efforts in support of the NGS 2018 Family History Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Award of Honor

The Award of Honor was presented in recognition of dedication and sustained service in support of the conference. Recipient of the award was the Western Michigan Genealogical Society, Mindy Koole, President.

Certificates of Appreciation

Certificates of Appreciation were given to recognize the committee chairs who spent countless hours preparing for the conference. NGS is aware that there would be no conference if it were not for the volunteers’ efforts and commitment. So honored were: Local Host Committee Chair, Mindy Koole; Registration Chair, Roger Moffat; Local Publicity Chair, Donald S. Bryant; Volunteer Co-Chairs, Sue Irvine and Maureen Doyle Nelson; Social Media Chair, Denise Fedko; Tom Koselka, and Katherine Willson.