APG presents awards

This press release was received today from the Association of Professional Genealogists. Congratulations to the award recipients!

APG HONORS FIVE MEMBERS FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

WESTMINSTER, Colo., September 24 - The Association of Professional Genealogists (APG) honored five members for outstanding contributions and achievements at the 2009 Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Conference held September 2-5 in Little Rock, Arkansas.

APG named Loretto Dennis Szucs as the recipient of the APG Professional Achievement Award. The award was created in 2007 to recognize a record of exceptional professional achievement with contributions to the field of genealogy through individual excellence and ethical behavior. Szucs has been involved in genealogical research, teaching, lecturing, and publishing for more than thirty years. Previously employed by the National Archives, she is currently executive editor and vice president of community relations for Ancestry.com. She has served on many archives and genealogical boards, and was founding secretary of the FGS. Currently, she serves as a director on the Board of the FGS.

Sandra MacLean Clunies, CG, received the Grahame T. Smallwood Jr. Award of Merit, an award honoring personal commitment and outstanding service to the APG organization. Clunies has served APG in several leadership roles since 1996, including two terms on the APG Board of Directors (2004-2008), National Capital Area Chapter President (2004-2008) and National Capital Area Chapter Vice President (1996-2000). In addition to her APG leadership
roles, Clunies has served as Director for the Genealogical Speakers Guild, Vice-President of GENTECH and an adjunct faculty member at the National Institute on Genealogical Research (NIGR) and the Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research (IGHR) at Samford University.

APG named Sharon E. Sergeant as the recipient of the APGQ Excellence Award, given to recognize excellence in submitted APG Quarterly material. Sergeant was honored for her article titled, "Holocaust Secret Exposed: How Forensic Genealogy Cracked the Misha Defonseca Case". She is the past Program Director and current Secretary of the Massachusetts Genealogical Council. She is an active lecturer, author, and conference planner.

Certificates of appreciation were also awarded at the FGS in recognition of outstanding, continual or unusual contributions to APG, by a member or a non-member. This year, there were two recipients. Luke M. Muszkiewicz (of Pure Development, LLC) was honored for long-term contributions to the APG organization in the areas of technical advice, computer programming, web design, and customer service. Alvie L. Davidson, CG, was honored for continued generosity and involvement in the support, planning, and execution of APG's 30th Anniversary Celebration and the 2009 Professional Management Conference.

The Association of Professional Genealogists, established in 1979, represents over 1,800 genealogists, librarians, writers, editors, historians, instructors, booksellers, publishers, and others involved in genealogy-related businesses. APG encourages genealogical excellence, ethical practice, mentoring, and education. The organization also supports the preservation and accessibility of records useful to the fields of genealogy, local, and social history. Its members represent all fifty states, Canada, and twenty-six other countries.

Contact: Kathleen W. Hinckley, CG, Executive Director,
Association of Professional Genealogists
P.O. Box 350998, Westminster, CO 80035-0998
Phone 303-422-9371, fax 303-456-8825, e-mail
admin@apgen.org