Awards & honors

Journal of Environmental Health, Oct, 2008

The awards ceremony kicked off to a fast start as the audience was treated to a special and enormously energetic hoop dance performance that was played out by a local Native American family. All in all, twelve different presenters combined to recognize over 73 different environmental health professionals and students for outstanding work in our field of practice, making this year's awards ceremony one of NEHA's most memorable.

The awards ceremony was memorable this year for several reasons. Apart from the fact that the ceremony moved at a nice and fast pace, there were many surprises, memorable moments, and touching events. One of the surprises involved Dr. John Barry receiving the Journal Editor's Award. John was unaware that he was this year's recipient. The award was presented to an astonished John only after he had read a dummy script on behalf of a fictitious award winner. The audience then gave John a loud and heartfelt ovation for his wonderful work as the technical editor of the Journal.

NEHA's executive director was also caught by surprise when incoming NEHA President Dick Pantages arose unannounced to present Nelson Fabian with a special award from the board of directors on the occasion of his 25th anniversary as NEHA's executive director.

Walter S. Mangold Award

Dr. John M. Barry

NEHA's highest honor, the Walter S. Mangold Award--given for outstanding contributions to the advancement of the environmental health profession--was bestowed this year upon the very deserving Dr. John Barry. Please see the accompanying story on page 80, which details Dr. Barry's contributions to the profession.

Certificates of Merit

Certificates of Merit are awarded to affiliate members who make exemplary contributions to the profession of environmental health. Each affiliate sets its own criteria for recognition, so recipients do not need to be NEHA members. For 2008, the following winners were announced:

* Alabama--Lemuel Burell,

* Arizona--Marlene Gaither,

* Alaska--Rachel Goldberger,

* California--George Nakamura,

* Illinois--Glen Filip,

* Louisiana--Marian Aguillard,

* Massachusetts--Gary D. Perlman,

* Michigan--Patrick Donovan,

* Minnesota--Lori Green,

* Missouri--Jerry Brown,

* National Capital Area--Shannon McKeon,

* Nebraska--Douglas A. Clark,

* New Jersey--Harriett Zivin,

* Ohio--Matt Johnson,

* South Carolina--Dorothy Soranno,

* Texas--Patrick Buzbee,

* Uniformed Services--CAPT (Ret.) Thomas E. Crow,

* Virginia--Charles Shepherd,

* Wisconsin--Mary Myszka, and

* Wyoming--Stephanie Malcolm.

Affiliates may submit their nominees at any time for Certificate of Merit awards to be announced next June in Atlanta, Georgia.

A. Harry Bliss Editor's Award

Dr. John M. Barry

Dr. A. Harry Bliss was the Journal editor in 1969, the year this award was first presented. When he retired, the award was named after him to honor his 40 years of involvement in Journal production. NEHA often gives the annual Harry Bliss Editor's Award to outstanding writers and columnists, but the award may also go to individuals who, through the Journal of Environmental Health, advance the cause and interests of the association.

This year, we are proud to announce that the 2008 recipient of the Harry Bliss Award is Dr. John M. Barry, technical editor for the Journal of Environmental Health. Dr. Barry has been an unparalleled asset to the Journal program. In addition, he has provided years of service to both NEHA and the profession in a variety of capacities. He was the 1993-1994 NEHA president, and prior to his retirement, he served as the director and then the deputy director of the environmental protection program for Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. For the past 10 years, NEHA has benefited from his expertise as the technical editor of the Journal. It is largely through John's role as technical editor that we have been able to provide such vital information and such a useful resource to all of you.

As Journal department staff member Alicia Green, who has worked closely with Dr. Barry for the past four and a half years, said, "John approaches his role as technical editor with dedication, professionalism, intelligence, and humor. He is truly a credit to this profession. We are very fortunate to have his vision and collaboration as we move forward as an association and a field." As NEHA Executive Director Nelson Fabian said, "Few people have given to NEHA and to our profession as much as John has. His example honors the spirit of Harry Bliss. It also gives today's workforce proof of what is possible." Congratulations, John, you are very deserving of this recognition!

NEHA/AAS Scholarship Awards

NEHA supports students in many ways. One way involves financial tuition support through a special scholarship program that is cosponsored by NEHA and the American Academy of Sanitarians (AAS). This year, NEHA Past President and Scholarship Committee Chair James Balsamo presented the following scholarships on behalf of the scholarship committee:

* $2,000 Graduate Scholarship to Kara M. Koehrn from Duke University, who is majoring in environmental health and toxicology,