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Recipients of President's Award
Created in 2015, the President's Award for Outstanding Achievement is designed to single out that rare individual, society or organization who has demonstrated exemplary service above and beyond expectations. Specific qualities include:
- Exhibited long-term, consistent service in the field of genealogy, family or local history, the genealogical community, records preservation or made an important single contribution in those areas that will endure into the future.
- Demonstrated a high degree of energy, commitment, flexibility, and professional conduct.
- Provided significant support and impact to the local genealogical community time and time again.
- Exhibited personal influence and example to society members and/or the general public with their unselfish service.
- Supported or advanced local or statewide genealogical research.
| Year |
Awardee and description of achievements |
Genealogical Society |
| 2015 |
Fred Pflugrath
Over the last dozen years, Fred has single-handedly identified, researched, and documented information on almost 2,500 Civil War veterans from all over Eastern Washington. Much of his research is available at the Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society’s Library. An index is available online here. Additionally, Fred has taken the extra step to submit the information to the National Grave Registration Project ( www.suvcw.org/graves/graves.htm, part of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, SUVCW).
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Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society |
| 2016 |
No awardee |
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| 2017 |
Joanne Egbert Calhoun
Joanne, a founding member of the Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society, has served on the Board of Directors since its inception in 1971, including two terms as President, and recently retired after 38 years as Treasurer. In addition to researching her own lineages, Joanne has inspired many people in their quest to learn genealogical research skills. She has walked, recorded and indexed several cemeteries in Chelan and Douglas County. Following relocation of the World War I Veterans Memorial Shrine to its current placement at the Wenatchee City Cemetery, Joanne researched and compiled histories for all WWI veterans serving from Chelan and Douglas county. Joanne also completed a subject index for the entire 38-year span of the Appleland Bulletin, the local society’s quarterly publication.
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Wenatchee Area Genealogical Society |
| 2018 |
Ann Olson
Ann is a founding member of the Olympia Genealogical Society, starting the group 44 years ago. She has served in every board position in the Society; more than once in many cases. In addition, she organizes and teaches a beginning genealogy course at the local library. In addition to her genealogical contributions, she is a docent at the Governor’s Mansion; member of the Daughters of the Pioneers, including being president of her local group; registrar of the local Daughters of the American Revolution, where she’s been a member for more than 30 years; active in the PTA when her children were growing up, including being state president & national vice president
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Olympia Genealogical Society |
| 2019 |
No awardee |
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| 2020 |
No awardee |
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| 2021 |
Helen McGreer Lewis
Helen Lewis’s final years of service to genealogy and family history were not only unfailing but critical to the success of archives and genealogy groups in Washington state and beyond. She not only volunteered in her local societies including South King County Genealogical Society (SKCGS) and DAR, but also indexed public records for the Washington State Archives as a volunteer for over 25 years. Her work lives on through the Washington State Digital Archives.
She authored a number of books for which she gained no income; she assigned the proceeds to the South King County Genealogical Society. In her DAR work, she helped countless others as they worked to solidify their connection to American Patriots. She also served as liaison between the SKCGS and the DAR.
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South King County Genealogical Society |
| 2022 |
Jill Morelli
Jill is a self-described member of the “Roots” generation of genealogists. From that spark, Jill has grown into a veritable wildfire of action within the genealogical community at many levels. She is a writer, lecturer and researcher specializing in U.S. Midwestern, Scandinavian and northern German genealogy. She was president (2012 – 2015), then publications director (2017 – 2020) of the Seattle Genealogical Society (SGS). She continues to provide her insights and energy to SGS as past president and co-chair of the SGS 100th anniversary committee. Jill is also program director for the local chapter of the Association for Professional Genealogists. On the wider stage of national and international genealogy, Jill lectures nationally and has been successfully published in many journals, including the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Swedish American Genealogist.
In 2017, Jill founded the highly successful online Certification Discussion Group (CDG) which draws students from all over the globe. She is also a founding partner of the Applied Genealogy Institute, providing online practicum-based education for advanced genealogists.
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Seattle Genealogical Society |
For more information about the President's Award for Outstanding Achievement, click here or email Info@wasgs.org. |
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