Nicholas G. Carter Volunteer Recognition Award
The Volunteer Service Award was named to honor APS President Nicholas "Nick" Carter in 2008, the year he passed away. Nick was elected in 2007, but died in office in 2008. He was a proponent of recognizing the hobby's volunteers and so this is his legacy for the hobby.
In 2014, the APS Board changed the deadline submission for the Carter Award so the awards could be presented at the Summer Meeting, so there was a bye year.
The Volunteer Recognition Awards are presented to recognize the outstanding efforts of our volunteers at national and local levels; and to recognize our younger members whose outstanding leadership is crucial to our future. The awards have been named in memory of Nick Carter who helped to establish them. Nick felt it was important to recognize those unsung heroes who contribute their talents, time and energies to benefit stamp collecting and the Society.
There are four categories for the awards:
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National Promotion/Service - for outstanding service and innovation to the hobby on the national level; requires at least five years of service – up to five awards each year;
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Local Promotion/Service - for outstanding service and innovation to the hobby on the local level; requires at least five years of service – up to ten awards each year;
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Outstanding Young Adult Philatelist (ages 25-40) - for outstanding service and leadership by an individual age 25-40; requires at least five years of service – one award per year; and
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Outstanding Young Philatelist (ages 15-24) - for outstanding service and leadership by an individual age 15-24; requires at least three years of service – one award per year.
Awards are presented each year at the APS General Meeting held at StampShow in August. If honorees are unable to attend the show, other arrangements are made for an official presentation. List of Previous Winners
Information provided by the American Philatelic Society www.stamps.org
2024 Winners from ESPER
Barbara Asher
National Volunteer
Barbara , is ATA ambassador at stamp shows and coordinator hundreds of stamp packages f youth to be given out at youth. She has been collecting stamps since first grade.
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Jean Lewis
Local Volunteer
She is a past-president of ESPSR and has Chapter Director of MD/DC/DE for many years. Using her background in education she has given presentations and exhibits at schools , churches, universities and other organizations.
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Ricky Johnson
Local Volunteer
Ricky Johnson is fondly known as ESPER the Ambassador. He has help recruiting new ESPER members at local and national stamp shows. Over the years he supplied stamps and materials for Black History Month. Richy has been very supportive for NC and SC chapters.
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2023 Winners from ESPER
Cassandra and Oneal Tyler
Local Volunteer
Cassandra and Oneel , have been co-direct of our South Carolina chapter . They also give do presentations and exhibits local schools, churches and other venues in South Carolina.
Clarence McKnight
Local Volunteer
2022 Winners from ESPER
Beatrice Adams Cox
Local Volunteer
ESPER's Webmaster, past Editor of Reflections newsletter, presenter and exhibitor at schools, churches, and other locations. Started youth stamp clubs.
Past ESPER Board member, North Carolina Chapter Director, started collecting as a child. Had gallery exhibition at University of North Carolina. Bea started senior citizens stamp club at her church.
2021 Winners from ESPER
ESPER's Webmaster, past Editor of Reflections newsletter, presenter and exhibitor at schools, churches, and other locations. Started youth stamp clubs.
Past ESPER Board member, North Carolina Chapter Director, started collecting as a child. Had gallery exhibition at University of North Carolina. Bea started senior citizens stamp club at her church.
Félix L. Pérez-Folch, Jr.
National Volunteer
Don Neal
National Volunteer
Félix is a retired U.S. Army veteran. His exhibit/program topics include Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Americans. Félix has volunteered at National stamp shows and events all over the country.
Don is the editor of Reflections, the ESPER journal, which was the winner of the Stamp Exhibition Study Unit Literature Competition at 2015 National Topical Stamp Show. Don is an active volunteer for the ESPER table at stamp shows, promoting ESPER and philately.
2018 Winners from ESPER
Chris Calle
National Volunteer
Over the past quarter century, Chris Calle has designed more than 30 stamps for the U.S. Postal Service and hundreds more for stamp-issuing entities as diverse and far-flung as Sweden, the Marshall Islands, and the United Nations. And in the 40 years since 1968, Chris has produced countless cachets for U.S. and foreign First Day Covers, including more than 1,000 paintings for Fleetwood FDC cachets alone.
Edgar Hicks
Local Volunteer
Edgar is a member of the Liberian Philatelic Society in Omaha, Nebraska. He has worked as a general manager with the Farmers' Cooperative in Clarks, Nebraska, and as a barge/rail grain merchandiser with the Pillsbury Company. He has assisted rural communities in developing alternative grain marketing strategies and in establishing 501(c)(3) organizations.
2017 Winners from ESPER
2010 Winners from ESPER
Dawn Hamman
National Volunteer
Dawn is president of the American Topical Association. Before becoming president, she served as a board member and first vice president. She has won grand and reserve grand awards for her thematic exhibits. She treasures her ESPER friends and misses Warachal. Dawn was fortunate to interview Esper Hayes for an article that appeared in Topical Time, the journal of the ATA. “That conversation was one of the most uplifting experiences of my life,” she says. “Esper was a high achieving person who gave back to others. She was an inspiration to all of us to pass the rewards of our hobby along.”
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2009 Winners from ESPER
Lloyd de Vries
National Volunteer
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Llyod, has operated online stamp collecting forums since 1993, which collectively became The Virtual Stamp Club (still extant at www.virtualstampclub.com), and moderates the VSC and AFDCS Facebook Groups and Americover page. Llyod has been a longtime member of ESPER.
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Dr. Cheryl Ganz
National Volunteer
Cheryl is past chief curator of philately for the Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum. She is a past-president of the American Air Mail Society and serves on the Ethics Committee of the American Philatelic Society.
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2008 Winners from ESPER
Foster E. Miller III
National Volunteer
Foster of Maryland was chair for Americover 2019, the American First Day Cover Society's annual show, convention, and celebration of first day covers. Foster previously handled scheduling for the Americover shows.
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Nominations:
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All nominations must be submitted in writing - Nomination Form available in .pdf format.
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Nominations considered but not selected in a given year may be kept for a total of three years and will be considered in subsequent years. However, nominees may again be nominated or may be reinstated by a subcommittee member for further consideration.
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Self nominations for a Volunteer Recognition Award or a nomination by an immediate family member of a nominee will not be considered.
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Nominations may be submitted throughout the year. Deadline for current year nominations is December 15. Nominations received after December 15 will be considered the following year.
Eligibility:
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Five or more years of service (except for youth award).
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Preference will be given to nominees who are from the USA and its territories.
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Nominees must be living when nominated.
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Membership in the American Philatelic Society is not a prerequisite to being a nominee.
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Board members of the APS and APRL will not be eligible for consideration while holding an elective office.
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Staff members and Luff Award winners are not eligible for the awards.
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Each award may be won only once.
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National winners may not subsequently win the Local Award.
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A period of five years must elapse before a winner in one category may be selected in a different category.
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A person employed in a philatelically related profession is eligible for any of the awards provided that the volunteer efforts were outside professional endeavors.