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by BrendaS.McClurkin, CA
Heartiest congratulations to Ellen Kuniyuki Brown, CA, recipient of the 2011 Distinguished Service Award at SSA’s Annual Meeting in Little Rock. As SSA’s most prestigious award, the Distinguished Service Award is presented to a member who has made significant contributions to the Society of Southwest Archivists as well as the wider archival profession over a period of years. It is not required that the award be made annually. DSA committee members Tim Blevins, Leslie Calmes, and Brenda McClurkin (chair) recommended Ellen to the Executive Board which quickly confirmed their choice. Ellen’s long years of service to SSA and the archival profession as a whole made her the stand-out candidate for the 2011 DSA award.
Ellen received an undergraduate degree in history and biology from Wayland Baptist University, a master’s in history from Baylor University, and a MSLIS with emphasis on archival enterprise from the University of Texas at Austin. She served as archivist in the Texas Collection at Baylor University from 1976 until her retirement in 2010, serving as associate director in 2007-2008. She is a founding member of the Society of Southwest Archivists. In addition to being the first and only archivist of the SSA records housed at Baylor University, Ellen was a member of the SSA executive board from 1994-1996; a member of the program committee for the 2010 SSA annual meeting in Santa Fe; served on the local arrangements committee for the Society of American Archivists annual meeting in Austin in 2009; and served as a member and then chair of the nominating committee in 2009-2011. Ellen presented three papers at Texas State Historical Association annual meetings in joint sessions held with SSA and the Texas Baptist Historical Society. In addition, Ellen is a member of the Academy of Certified Archivists, the Association of Librarians and Archivists at Baptist Institutions, and volunteered on various committees at Baylor University and in her church. Ellen authored a 1981 article for Texas Baptist History: the Journal of the Texas Baptist Historical Society, and served as in various editorial roles including managing editor (9 years) and most recently, member of the editorial board of that journal.
Ellen received her award in Little Rock with smiles and tears, and was quite humbled by the recognition she most richly deserved. Her award, presented by Brenda McClurkin, was accompanied by a check for $250, a stipend graciously sponsored by Metal Edge since 1996.