IPRA Chairman of the Board Elizabeth Kessler wielded a lot of power in 2003, but few tasks were as satisfying as being asked to select recipients of IPRA's 2003 Chairman's Awards slated for presentation at the annual meeting. In a field crowded with outstanding candidates, the choices may have been the hardest she made during her year's tenure, but in the end, her selections were applauded as the best of the best by anyone's standards.

George Bryant, Director, Godfrey Parks and Recreation, was selected for ingeniously turning distance into IPRA's advantage. George has led the charge to unite the IPRA membership by working to boost the communications between IPRA's heavily member-populated north and its southern members. His initiative has been focused and purposeful, leading to a stronger bond between IPRA members everywhere. In addition, George's leadership has taken his agency's annual corn maze from a small event to one that's written up in destination publications across the nation. George is a humble innovator who dreams big! He was particularly excited to share his trophy with the staff of Godfrey Parks and Rec whose support he credits with having made his efforts 'effortless.'

Tracey Crawford is never at a loss for words, so it's fortunate that thank-you speeches were not on the annual meeting's agenda when she realized Kessler had named her as the evening's second honoree. It's easy to praise Crawford, as anyone who works with her is aware. Serving IPRA's board, her colleagues, agency and heritage with equal enthusiasm and devotion, Crawford earned her Chairman's Award by unceasingly advocating on behalf of the causes she cherishes and never letting go until victory is hers! In 2003, Tracey took the lead in creating IPRA's Ethnic Minority Section, the first statewide ethnic minority park and recreation special interest section in the country.

Final honors went to an unassuming conservationist whose activism in the Park and Natural Resource Management Section has become so profound, his reputation extends beyond his section. Dave Lambert was tapped for his all-around dedication to matters extending from finances to education to the environment and beyond. Called PNRMS's "behind the scenes guy," Lambert's reaction to receiving his award could best be summed up in three words: Stunned but thrilled—the exact reaction we would expect from this outstanding member.

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