The Award for Distinguished Service to Museums honors sustained excellence and unusual service by an individual.
The award, a bronze medal and citation, is made to a museum professional of twenty or more years' experience who may be professionally active, a trustee, or retired. Museum affiliation must have been a long-term, integral part of the nominee's career.
Judging criteria include the nominee's individual cumulative contribution to his/her institution, to the museum profession, and to the larger museum community. Other selection factors include the nominee's record of publications, speaking engagements, mentorship, teaching, participation on boards, awards, citations, and community service.
The award application for the Award for Distinguished Service to Museums must be submitted by someone who knows the nominee well; self-nominations are not accepted.
The most recent recipient of this award was Elaine Heumann Gurian, President, The Museum Group, which was presented at AAM's 2004 Annual Meeting in New Orleans, LA.
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2008 award.
Past Honorees
2007 No Recipient
2006 Centennial Honor Roll
2005 No Recipient
2004 Elaine Heumann Gurian
2003 Robert R. Macdonald
2002 Alberta Sebolt-George
2001 No Recipient
2000 No Recipient
1999 Peter H. Raven
1998 William Conway
1997 Thomas W. Leavitt
1996 John C. Ewers
1995 Stephen Weil
1994 Michael Spock
1993 Joel N. Bloom
1993 John Carter Brown
1992 Kenneth Starr
1991 Joseph Veach Noble
1990 Holman J. Swinney
1989 E. Leland Webber
1988 Mildred S. Compton
1987 Otto Wittman
1986 Louis C. Jones
1985 S. Dillon Ripley
1984 Grace McCann Morley
1983 Edward P. Alexander
1982 Frank Oppenheimer
1981 Edgar Preston Richardson
1980 Albert Eide Parr
