On my mind …

PSA Journal, Jan, 2005 by Richard M. Frieders

The Society has many awards that are available to honor its members. Some are for photographic achievements, others are for service to the Photographic Society of America (PSA), and still others are for special requirements that have been met in certain areas of photography. There are also various Division, Chapter, PSA Journal, Membership, and Exhibition awards.

We have several major Society awards that are always presented at our annual conference. The Society's highest honor is the Progress Medal Award which was established in 1945 and is presented annually to an individual who has made an "outstanding contribution to the progress of photography or an allied subject" (The Progress Medal recipient need not be a PSA member.).

Our other important Society awards are the John Doscher Memorial Award for classical photography, the Victor Scales Memorial Award for various types of service, the Stuyvesant Peabody Memorial Award for pictorial photography, the Early Achievement Award for new members that have contributed significantly in their first 5 years as a member, and the PSA Appreciation Award for teaching achievements. As you can see, these awards cover a wide range of service and photographic achievements. Many of you know members that deserve one of these awards, so why not get the procedure started by proposing them? The requirements for all of these above awards were recently described in the November issue of the PSA Journal, so I would urge you to read them: and if you know a fellow member that you think deserves one of the awards, please request the application forms from Headquarters. Keep in mind also that if you think you quality for a particular award, you could suggest that another member take care of the proposal for you and find two endorsers. Don't wait too long; the deadline for this year's awards is March 1st.

A recent Board action transferred the International Understanding Through Photography Award from a Photojournalism Division (PJD) award to a Society level award. Presented annually for "outstanding contributions to international understanding through photography by lecturing, teaching, and publications," it has been the most prestigious award for photojournalists and now ranks even higher as a Society award. Previously presented at the PJD luncheon, it will now join the ranks of our other Society awards and be presented at the Membership Meeting at each conference. Likewise, the all-important Joseph P. Fallon Memorial Award for the promotion of membership has also moved to Society level.

The Certain Society Awards committee, that reviews the applications for the seven Society awards in the two paragraphs immediately mentioned above, has had a name change to aid in clarifying the awards. Effective immediately, it will be known as the "Society Recognition Awards" committee. The annual deadline for submitting candidates is March 1 for the seven mentioned. Check with Headquarters for application information.

This issue of the Journal carries the names of candidates for the Board of Directors for the 2005-2007 term, as submitted by the PSA Nominating Committee. Some candidates have agreed to serve another term, and several new people have agreed to run for office (for the term which begins at the close of the annual conference in Salt Lake City). PSA certainly appreciates the willingness of these members to serve the Society and looks forward to the skills and ideas that will be brought to PSA's leadership team. There are many other positions where PSA can use help; so if you'd like to volunteer a little of your time, let me know. Most are not as time-consuming as a Board position but important anyway and will help us to continue to provide the current activities as well as some new services for our members.

And finally, at last count we have 37 people signed up for our special just-for-fun cruise, Seattle to Alaska, which takes place in June and hopefully will be the first of several similar photo experiences that we will plan for the future, If you'd like to join us, check out the details in the September, October, and November issues of the Journal. Details can also be found on the special website at: www.imageination.com/psacruise.> PSA--it's a great organization for serious photographers! Share your experiences with fellow photographers!

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