Volunteer Appreciation

Last night, the Museum held its annual Volunteer Appreciation Dinner and Awards Ceremony. Alice Schwallie, Manager of Volunteer Programs, organized this special evening with Museum Board members Judith McMillan and Lucy Weller, co-chairs of our Awards Committee. Over 300 volunteers, staff, guests, and Board members attended the event to celebrate the wonderful achievements of our volunteers, who come to the Museum with different life experiences, diverse backgrounds, and various reasons for wanting to donate their time and energy to this institution. 

Of special note, the Kent Hale Smith Award for Outstanding Service was presented to George Gilliam, who has been volunteering with Vertebrate Paleontology since March 2008. Archaeology volunteer Karl Smith received the Golden Eagle Award for reaching the 5,000-hours milestone. The 30 Under 30 Award recognized Noah Veres for his outstanding work in the Perkins Wildlife Center & Woods Garden. First-year Invertebrate Zoology volunteer Pat Metzler digitized over 1,000 specimens of moths and butterflies in under a year, earning her the title of Rock Star Rookie. Wildlife Resources volunteer Claudia Bennett earned the Permanent Recess Award for her lively and informative animal programs. And for her total of 167 volunteer days in a single year, the Prime Participation Award went to Wildlife Resources volunteer Kathleen Cerveny.

 

Congratulations and thank you to all of our volunteers. We appreciate your willingness to give back to your community, your passion for natural history, and your dedication to the Museum.

 

See below for the full list of 2019 award recipients.