Distinguished Service Award

Nominations are now closed.

The purpose of the National Court Reporters Association Distinguished Service Award is to encourage and to recognize work amounting to distinguished service by individual members of the National Court Reporters Association for the benefit of the reporting and captioning professions. That may include members who have worked in the background for many years to further the goals of our profession; who have devoted endless hours to NCRA or state association affairs; who have contributed articles to the JCR; or who have been active in the legislative or public relations fields over the years.

The committee may direct that the name of any candidate or candidates not selected be carried forward for consideration by the next year's DSA committee. To make sure your candidate remains on the list, please submit his/her name each year!

NOTE: Nominations for the DSA may be submitted by NCRA voting members or by affiliated court reporting associations. See below for more information.

Performance criteria

  • A candidate for the DSA shall be a Registered Member of the Association in good standing, or a Registered Retired Member or Registered Retired Lifetime Member who was a member in good standing upon retirement.
  • The candidate shall have been involved in NCRA affairs on an extensive level, during which involvement the candidate shall have rendered distinguished service to this Association, which has contributed to its good reputation, general welfare, or worthy accomplishments.
  • The DSA Committee may consider, among other things, services rendered to state and other reporting associations, public affairs and public relations, writing for association publications, and the advancement of the profession.

Past Distinguished Service Award recipients

2025Carol Studenmund (posthumously)
2024Sarah Vaught Nageotte
2023Heidi C. Thomas
2022Sue Terry
2021Alan Peacock
2020No award in 2020
2019Bruce A. Matthews 
2018Heywood Waga 
2017Nancy C. Varallo
2016William S. Greenley (posthumously)
2015Sandra B. VanderPol
2014Brenda L. Fauber
2013Ellen Corbett Hannum
2012Jerry Kelley
2011Arnella I. Sims
2010Forrest Brown
2009John Prout
2008Vicki Akenhead-Ruiz
2007J. Edward Varallo
2006Tammie Shedd
2005Lana M. Fruke
2004Judith H. Brentano
2003Jean Lea
2002Joseph Karlovits
2001Gary Cramer
2000Richard A. Sherman
1999Irving L. Starkman
1998Mae Glassbrenner
1997Merilyn A. Sanchez
1996Dennis Hagestrom
1995Shirley Houston
1994Robert H. Clark
1993Richard Heilig
1992Sandra McFate
1991Al Weinstein
1990Nancy Patterson
1989Frank O. Nelson
1988Harold Krabbenhoft
1987Doris Wong
1986Mary Knapp
1985Frank Sarli
1984Richard E. Peppey (posthumously)
1983Harry Foster
1982Richard Smith
1981Samuel A. Fitz-Henley
1980Mary Louise Gilman
1979Sally J. Cochran
1978Irving Kosky
1977M. Eugene Olsen
1976Casey B. Smith
1975Robert B. Morse
1974Mabel Snodgrass
1973R. Forrest Brenner
1972Joseph J. Sweeney
1971Vivien R. Spitz
1970Rosemary K. Overstreet
1969William Cohen
1968Roy E. Voelker
1967Nathaniel Weiss
1966J.L. McAtee
1965Ray J. Lerschen
1964Tula C. LeWald
1963Francis J. McSwiggan
1962Rachel M. (Smith) Lerschen
1961Nathan Behrin
1960Richard Mowers


Contact

Laura Butler, Director, Governance
Email: lbutler@ncra.org
Tel: (703) 584-9032