Report of the Honors Committee

Abstract

Southeastern Geographer Vol. XXXX, No. !,May 2000, pp. 118-120 REPORT OF THE HONORS COMMITTEE Luoheng Han Criteria for the special awards presented by the SEDAAG Honors Committee can be found in the Southeastern Geographer, Vol. 37, No. 1, May 1997, pp. 109110 . LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Ronald F. Abler Association ofAmerican Geographers The 1999 Honors Committee ofthe Southeastern Division ofthe Association of American Geographers (SEDAAG), on behalf of its members, is proud to present its 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award to Ronald F. Abler. The Lifetime Achievement Award embodies much ofthe spirit and criteria ofthe other faculty honors, but goes beyond to include specific support ofthe geography profession through formal service to national organizations or work in the public domain. While he is not affiliated with an institution within the Southeastern Division, Ron has long been a supporter of the Division - rarely missing an annual meeting during the past decade. Perhaps Ron Abler's greatest impact has been through his service and leadership to the discipline at national and international levels. Ron is Executive Director of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) and a Vice President of the International Geographical Union (IGU). Ron serves as an influential and extremely valuable liaison for the AAG with such groups as the National Geographic Society and the Consortium of Social Science Associations. He also serves on the boards of directors of Project Varenius, GIS/LIS, Inc., and the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation. Ron has moved the discipline into a major role on the federal scene and has positioned geography to be a major player in both the scientific research arena and in the education forum as we move into the new century. Prior to accepting the position of Executive Director of the AAG, Ron had a long and distinguished career as Professor and Chair in the Department of Geography at Pennsylvania State University. He has written numerous research articles and is coauthor or editor of several books, including the well-known text, Spatial Organization : A Geographer 's View ofthe World. Ron was Vice President, President, and Past President of the AAG between 1984 and 1987. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1985 and was awarded the Centenary Medal of the Dr. Luoheng Han is Associate Professor in the Department ofGeography, University ofAlabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0322. Internet: lhan@bama.ua.edu. HONORS REPORT Royal Scottish Geographical Society in 1990. He received Honors from the Association of American Geographers in 1995 and was awarded the Victoria Medal by the Royal Geographical Society/Institute of British Geographers in 1996. Ron enthusiastically embraced the idea for the World Geography Bowl, a "homegrown" product of SEDAAG, when it was presented to him. He not only serves as judge for the events, but also has committed AAG funds for the national competition held at AAG annual meetings. Ron Abler has distinguished himself as a teacher, scholar, and tireless servant of the discipline. We are proud to honor Ronald F. Abler with the Southeastern Division 's 1999 Lifetime Achievement Award. OUTSTANDING SERVICE AWARD Howard G Johnson Jacksonville State University The Outstanding Service Award is given to those who have displayed exceptional service to the Division, the AAG, and the discipline. Those who might meet such criteria can be identified as capable, reliable, unselfish, and above all as tireless workers. It is with great pleasure that we present the SEDAAG 1999 Outstanding Service Award to Howard G. Johnson of Jacksonville State University for his exceptional service record. As an influential geographer, Howard's contribution to the discipline started long before there were Geographic Alliances. He is one ofthe early movers in Alabama in attempting to get coordinated action between various geography departments on a variety of issues of concern and interest. By the time the Alabama Geographic Alliance was formed in 1986, he had built a broad base of support for geography among teachers and state education officials. He has contributed greatly to the successful functioning of various activities of the Alliance. Some of these activities involved directing summer geography institutes for teachers, delivering in-service presentations, and consulting with the State Department of Education. In addition, Howard maintained the Alliance newsletter...