KOREAN WAR VETERANS - TEXAS LONE STAR CHAPTER
THE GERRY WEBER DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD
The Board of Directors is pleased to announce the establishment of a Chapter Distinguished Service Award for deserving members. This special award program will be used to recognize outstanding contributors to our Chapter's operation and image in the community. The following is an explanation of how the program will function:
AWARD NAME
The recommendation of the Program Committee, accepted by the Board, was that the award be named in honor of Gerry Weber, one of our original members now deceased. Gerry worked tirelessly on behalf of the Chapter, covering many different areas. His various activities were so many that they had to be distributed among several members after he passed away. Gerry was the epitome of what this Distinguished Service Award is all about.
AWARD CRITERIA
This award is for service(s) to the Chapter that have made a significant difference in the Chapter's success. Long term membership, or service on the Board, is not, in itself, reason enough for this award. This is not a popularity contest. It is about outstanding achievement. Over the period of the Chapter's existence there have been a number of individuals that have made that kind of significant difference. It is those individuals who should receive this award. This award is for Chapter members and/or spouses only. Non-members can still be recognized in other ways. The award will be given to a member or spouse one time only. Think of it in the same vein as a lifetime achievement award. The award will be given jointly where a member and spouse worked together to achieve something significant, and separately if they each made a separate achievement.
NOMINATIONS
The annual nominating process will proceed on three levels:
1. General Membership Each year, in November, a request will be made to the General Membership for the names of potential nominees, and the reason(s) why they should be considered. Any member can nominate someone. All nominations will be sent to the Nominations Committee for review. A nomination form is attached for your use. One nominee per form. Make extra copies, if needed. No more than five nominations per member. The deadline for submittal of nominations is December 31.
2. Nominations Committee The Committee will consist of five senior Chapter members who have enough time in the Chapter to have known all the nominees. The Committee will review the nominations during the month of January and narrow them down to ten finalists. Finalists can be either current members or deceased members. Those who made a contribution in the past should not be overlooked because they have left us. The Committee will then report out to the Board at the February Board Meeting each year with their choices and their reasons for those choices. Nominating Committee members and/or Board members each year who become nominees will automatically be excluded from any role in the process that year. The list of finalists will not be published to the membership.
3. The Board of Directors The Board will review the nominees and select the award winner(s) for that year. Winners will be notified in advance, so they can have family members attend the awards ceremony, if they wish.
TIMING
Awards will be made in March of each year at the annual Dinner and Chapter Elections meeting
AWARD TYPES
There will be two levels of awards. The first will be a Chapter Plaque. The plaque will hold individual tiles for each award winner, and will be added to each year. The plaque will remain in the custody of the Chapter, for display at all meetings. In addition, each award winner will receive their own individual Gerry Webber Distinguished Service Award for that particular year. The exact design of the awards is still being determined. Let it be a surprise to you all.
FIRST YEAR AWARDS
Although we intend to limit the number of awards annually, the Board feels the need, given our collective ages, to expand the number of awards in the first year, therefore we will be making a total of five awards to begin with in 2007, chosen from a list of ten finalists. The Board is still considering some program aspects, such as making the nominating committee a rotating function, instead of the same committee members each year, to give several members a chance to participate. There is no limit on the number of times someone can be nominated. Also, the Board can decide that, in any given year, there are no qualified candidates, and make no awards that year. The whole program will always be subject to change over time, and every member can help with that. If you have a constructive idea on how to improve the process, please feel free to let us know. Your input is always welcome. We would also welcome your comments on this whole program as well.
FREEDOM IS NOT FREE
