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May 13, 2008 		Contacts:
Joan Moody
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Secretary Kempthorne Presents Awards to Employees and Private Citizens at Interior’s 65th Honors Convocation
Secretary Kempthorne presents the Department's Valor Award to Bureau of Land Management firefighters Scott W. Brandt,Michael D. Hendrickson, Lester M. McDonald, Michael Sperry, Michael C. McMaster, Scott Meneely, Andrew Rishavy, Andrea Robinson, Andrew Snyder, and Steven Spellberg (awardees listed in alphabetical order).
Secretary Kempthorne presents the Department's Valor Award to Bureau of Land Management firefighters Scott W. Brandt,Michael D. Hendrickson, Lester M. McDonald, Michael Sperry, Michael C. McMaster, Scott Meneely, Andrew Rishavy, Andrea Robinson, Andrew Snyder, and Steven Spellberg (awardees listed in alphabetical order).

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today presented 92 awards at the 65th Honors Convocation of the Department of the Interior.

“Today we are recognizing those who show the Department of the Interior at its best,” Secretary Kempthorne said. “They represent diverse disciplines. They hail from different parts of the country. Some performed brave, timely acts in an emergency to save lives. Others worked for years and produced outstanding achievements for the Department.”

The awards honor employees of the Department and its agencies as well as private citizens who have performed acts of heroism in emergencies or demonstrated longstanding excellence in serving Interior’s mission. The 92 awards presented included the Distinguished Service Award, the Valor Award, the Citizens Award for Bravery and the Department Safety Awards. In addition, the ceremony acknowledged 73 employees receiving the Meritorious Service Award.

“The stories behind each of our award winners today are as incredible as they are marvelous,” Kempthorne added. “In real-life rescues more dramatic than anything on TV, courageous employees rappelled down cliff faces in snowstorms or jumped into burning cars and planes to save the lives of others.

“We are also honoring everyday heroes – dedicated employees who committed decades of their lives to tasks as diverse as recovering an endangered species, developing global remote-sensing programs, or maintaining accurate records.”

The following individuals were honored at today's convocation.

List of Award Winners

Distinguished Service Award (20)

U.S. Geological Survey Recipients

  • Francis H. Chapelle
  • Susan L. Collier
  • Anne F. Frondorf
  • Martin B. Goldhaber
  • Paul A. Hsieh
  • William G. Wilber

Bureau of Land Management

  • Anna F. Steele

Bureau of Reclamation

  • John W. McDonald
  • Kirk C. Rodgers

Fish and Wildlife Service

  • Ralph Costa

Minerals Management Service

  • August J Kocher III
  • Robert P. LaBelle

Office of Surface Mining

  • William Bass
  • Barbara Chadwick
  • Dennis Rice

National Park Service

  • David L. Barna
  • Dale B. Engquist
  • C. Bruce Sheaffer
  • Michael A. Soukup

Office of the Solicitor

  • Paul B. Smyth

Valor Award (28)

Bureau of Land Management

  • Scott W. Brandt
  • Michael D. Hendrickson
  • Lester M. McDonald
  • Michael Sperry
  • Michael C. McMaster
  • Scott Meneely
  • Andrew Rishavy
  • Andrea Robinson
  • Andrew Snyder
  • Steven Spellberg

National Park Service

  • Mt. McKinley Rescue:
    David T. Bywater
    Christopher P. Harder
    Reynold G. Jackson
    Steven W. Rickert
    John F. McConnell
    Neil McNab (Citizens Award for Bravery)
    Andrew Perkins (Citizens Award for Bravery)
  • Yosemite:
    John Dill
    Daniel Gleason
    David A. Horne
    Gregory R. Lawler
    Edward Visnovske
    Shawn Walters
    Blue Ridge Parkway
    David G. Bauer
    Eduardo L. Cartaya
  • Yosemite - El Capitan Rescue:
    Jack J. Hoeflich
    Keith L. Lober
  • Yosemite – El Capitan Rescue II:
    Eric J. Gabriel

Citizens Award for Bravery (4)

  • Henry Phill Michael nominated by the National Park Service
  • Danny Keith Stanley nominated by the National Park Service
  • Neil McNab nominated by the National Park service
  • Andrew Perkins nominated by the National Park service

DOI Safety Awards (40)

The Professional Service Award

  • Bureau of Land Management
    Sandy Guches

The Award of Merit

  • National Park Service
    Louis Rowe
  • Bureau of Reclamation
    Richard Kristof
    Ken Lally
    Pacific Northwest Region Dive Team and the Lower Colorado Region Dive Team    :
    Dennis Hawkins Greg Finnegan
    Mark Albl James Burke
    Jesse Chan Greg Clune
    Jeff Foot Tim Dewey
    Dave Godaire Phil Mann
    Brian Hamilton Seth Ostrowski
    Ryan Hedrick Rick Scott
    Walt Heyder Joel Strum
    Kevin Kelly Rodney Tang
    Rob McAffee Caireen Ulepic
    Ron Oaks
    Bill Parks
    Jeff Peterson
    Jerry Sharman
    Dana Wiegel
  • Minerals Management Service
    Safety Policy Rewrite Team:
    Staci Atkins
    Marriane Boucher
    Rhonda Dillon
    Roey Holliday
    Tom Keller
  • U.S. Geological Survey
    Large Vessel Safety Working Group:
    David Nichols
    Timothy Cherry
    Philip Bernard
    Gary Hill
    Ron Kuzniar
    Wayne E. Martin
 
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