The Awards Committee is responsible for implementing the procedure for the recognition of persons in Colorado who have given outstanding service to the genealogical community.
The Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies (CCGS) established the Memorial Hall of Fame-David S. Vogels Award to recognize persons in Colorado who have given outstanding service to the genealogical community of Colorado as a whole . The award is presented at the Council's Biennial Seminar which is held in even numbered years. A plaque with names of the recipients is on display at Denver Public Library.
The committee also encourages Council members to recognize the service and work of local individuals with awards and has the goal of publishing their accomplishments in the Council Newsletter.
A genealogical society, similar organization or an individual may submit a nomination to the Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies Memorial Hall of Fame on an official nomination form. Mail the form to the Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies, Memorial Hall of Fame Award, PO Box 24379, Denver Colorado 80224-0379. The submitter is asked to include an obituary, a photograph of the nominee and the name and address of a relative or an associate willing to take part in the presentation. The award is presented at the CCGS Biennial Seminar which occurs on even numbered years.
Download a Memorial Hall of Fame - David S. Vogels Award Nomination Form:
The 1990 award honored David S. Vogels, Jr. His contributions included serving as President of the Colorado Genealogical Society and being the founder of the Colorado Council of Genealogical Societies.
The 1992 award honored Henrietta Bromwell an early Colorado Genealogist known for her books on early pioneers in Colorado. Her genealogical research notes of some forty years are in the manuscript collection of the Western History section of the Denver Public Library.
The 1994 award honored Adelaide French who served as President of the Colorado Genealogical Society seven times from 1932 to 1968. Miss French donated a collection of her diaries, genealogical papers, and research writings to Denver Public Library.
The 1996 award honored Sanford Charles Gladden and Quantrille D. McClung.
The 1998 award honored Alfred A. Look. Mr. Look contributed as an author of numerous books on Colorado history. His collection of manuscripts, photos and scrapbooks reside at the Museum of Western Colorado in Grand Junction.
The 2000 award honored Bernice FitzSimmons Hathaway. Ms. Hathaway served in numerous lineage and genealogical organizations in Colorado. She was President of the Colorado Genealogical Society from 1944 to 1945 and Editor of The Colorado Genealogist from 1951 to 1967. Bernice was the compiler of four family histories and was a nationally recognized expert in heraldry and heraldic art. In 1985 she was named "National Woman of the Year" by the Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America.
The 2002 award honored Everett H. Geurink, who joined the Colorado Genealogical Society in 1978 and was made an honorary life member in 1989. He was co-editor of The Colorado Genealogist with Sue Lanham in 1981, with Edward McCune in 1982, Dianne Craig in 1983, and full editor 1984 to February 1988, when he retired from The Denver Post as an photoengraver, and moved to Iowa. He was past president of the Iowa Genealogical Society and the Scott County Genealogical Society of Iowa. He co-chaired the NGS Conference in the Quad cities, and was a member of the Scott County Historical Society and the Civil War Round Table.
The 2002 award honored Bonnie Lou Brittain Yorgason, who directed the effort to establish a genealogy research area in Colorado Springs' newly opened Penrose Library in 1968. She set up the area with books and microfilm from the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, and recruited, trained and scheduled volunteers who worked there, as well as offering her expertise to the researchers. In 1975, when the LDS Church established their branch library in Colorado Springs, Bonnie set up the first, and still the largest, Family History Center in the city, and served as its Director until 1998. She was a charter member of the Pikes Peak Genealogical Society and served in many roles ensuring that genealogical research was not only taught in the community, but that resources were made available.