Brenda Gunn was recognized at the May Annual Meeting of the Society of Southwest Archivists as the 2009 recipient of the Distinguished Service Award. The following are remarks read by Kathlene Ferris, member of the Distinguished Service Award Committee, at the Annual Business Meeting on May 23, 2009.

The Society of Southwest Archivists has recognized only two-dozen SSA members in its thirty-five years as individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the Society. The Distinguished Service Award is the Society’s highest honor and expresses our appreciation to our exceptional members’ efforts. The award is sponsored with a financial gift provided by our friends at Metal Edge, Inc. The DSA Committee includes Kathlene Ferris, Mike Strom and Tim Blevins.

This year’s recipient of the Award has been a professional archivist for more than a decade, after earning a Masters degree from a well respected university. As a student, the recipient co-founded a student chapter of SAA, and served as its first Treasurer. The recipient has steadily progressed in their career, and has continuously contributed to the profession by serving in leadership roles in the Academy of Certified Archivists, the Society of American Archivists, and the Society of Southwest Archivists.

The recipient has served as a member, chair, or co-chair of many SSA committees, including the Professional Development, Local Arrangements, Nominating, and Program committees. The recipient also served a term on the Executive Board, before being elected President of our organization.

She has distinguished herself in numerous ways and has set a high bar for all SSA leadership. Her cool-headed response in the face of natural disaster in our region resulted in establishing the means to communicate with our members just four days after hurricane Katrina hit land. Soon after, she established a fundraising campaign to provide aid needed by archives impacted by both hurricanes Katrina and Rita. With her husband Stan’s help, a blog called SSA Cares enabled us to know that our colleagues were safe and gave those affected a vital link for expressing their needs and sharing their experiences.

The Society of Southwest Archivists recognizes Brenda Gunn for her outstanding contributions to our society and is honored to present her the Distinguished Service Award.

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