The Federation of Genealogical Societies 2002 national conference, hosted by the California State Genealogical Alliance, included the presentation of several awards at the opening session, banquet and other venues.   

    The FGS Delegate Award was presented to Jonelle Ellis Russell of Santa Rosa, CA for always promoting FGS, her activity in records preservation, Family History Month, working at the FGS booth at conferences and helping the organization in many ways.

   Christine Rose of San Jose, CA was presented with the FGS Distinguished Service Award as she has written 60 columns in the FGS FORUM magazine about Family Associations since 1987.  She has also published books to help family associations.

   Paul Milner of Park Ridge, IL and Sharon DeBartolo Carmack of Simla, CO were both presented with the FGS Awards of Merit.  Paul has written or edited 414 book or CD reviews in the last 5 years and Sharon has submitted about 4000 words per year for 7 years for her column “The Editor’s Craft,” both for the FGS FORUM magazine.  

    FGS President Dean J. Hunter singled out Kay Haviland Freilich of Wayne, PA and Nancy J. Emmert of Madison, WI for their extraordinary determination, expertise and ingenuity in providing substitute topics and speakers to fill many slots in the program at the FGS/Quad Cities Conference in Davenport, IA following the national tragedy of 9/11/2001.   Kay and Nancy were both honored with an FGS President’s Citation.  Jim and Pam Cooper of Florida, Starr and Randy Campbell of Utah and Pat and Sue Kaufman Tavenner of Indiana were also awarded with Certificates of Appreciation for their willingness to cheerfully take on all large and small tasks that arose during the Quad Cities Conference when 9/11 created an incredible array of changes, problems and extra work for the many conference volunteers.

    Those recognized with the FGS Award of Merit for their participation in the Federation of Genealogical Societies/California State Genealogical Alliance Ontario, CA Conference were Wendy Bebout Elliott, national conference chair, Sheila Benedict, program chair, Everett Ireland and Nancy Giles, local co-chairs, and Greg Collinwood, exhibit chair, who all provided years of preparation to assure a successful conference.   The California State Genealogical Alliance was also presented with the FGS Award of Merit that was accepted by their President Sheila Benedict.

      Those recognized with Certificates of Appreciation included committee chairs who effectively contributed to the conference.  Those committee chairs were: Jan Lear, Special Assistant, Jonelle Ellis Russell and Cath Trindle, publicity, Marjorie and Ronald Higgins, volunteer coordinators, Barbara Renick, local arrangements chair, Norma Keating and Melinda Kashuba, luncheon co-chairs, Peter Carr, ethnic chair, Chuck Knuthson, audio visual chair, Miriam Benell and Diane Greene, public relations co-chairs, Bonnie Sell, mailing chair, Rosalind Heaps, volunteer and registration chair, Joan Rambo, ask me button co-chair, Nancy Huebotter, ask me button co-chair and contest coordinator,  Barbara Edkin, email coordinator, Pat Stubblefield, on-site programs chair,  Karen Clifford, door prize chair, Starr Campbell, Society Hall chair and Lea Mitchem, hospitality chair.

  Additional awards were presented to individuals who were not able to attend the FGS Conference in Ontario, CA.  The FGS Distinguished Service Award was earned by Iris Carter Jones of Sacramento, CA. Iris was a founding member of the Sacramento German Genealogy Society and the Genealogical Association of Sacramento.   She is currently serving as the President of the Genealogical and Historical Council of Sacramento Valley and has been active in monitoring California legislation affecting the preservation and accessibility of records.  Etoile Loper Hopkins of Meridian, MS also earned the FGS Distinguished Service Award for serving as co-editor of the Mississippi Genealogical Exchange from 1970 to 1977.  She was influential in starting the bicentennial collection in the Forest, MS Public Library and has taught genealogy classes and assisted others for many of her 92 years.

      Willie Doris Calico Bohannan of Aurora, MO earned the FGS Award of Merit for her lifetime work as a member of the Madison County (AR) Genealogical and Historical Society as a resource and mentor to many searching their Madison County ancestors.  Lila Romer Lee of Ukiah, CA also earned the FGS Award of Merit.  She was the founder of the Held Poage Library of Ukiah and has recruited many volunteers to inventory cemeteries and other projects.  Gene Lewis, a member of the Mendicino Coast (CA) Genealogical Society, likewise earned the FGS Award of Merit.  Gene has spent years searching local newspapers for vital statistics that has culminated in ten volumes of birth, deaths and marriages from 1900 to 1999.

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