"Very Best of the Very Best" NLUS Councils Cited

Navy League National President Timothy O. Fanning has announced that 10 NLUS councils have been designated as "Outstanding" for their 2002 activities and operations, and 10 others have earned citations as "Meritorious Councils."

The judging for top council awards "was, as always, a formidable challenge," Fanning said. "So many councils--both in the United States and overseas--were outstanding in carrying out the Navy League's mission that it was difficult to select the very best of the very best. Navy League councils throughout the United States--and overseas as well--serve as our organization's ambassadors of goodwill in their home communities and as advocates of keeping America's sea services strong and vital.

"The councils are in the field, proactively working with local sea-service units and personnel, with community and state legislatures, with their senators and representatives in Washington, with private industry, and with other leaders in their own communities. They are, in short, our most vital and continuing link to the American people, and the key to success of the Navy League's educational programs at both the national and local levels.

"The Navy League's continuing emphasis on 'Pride, Service, and Patriotism' is greatly enhanced," Fanning continued, "by the individual accomplishments of Navy Leaguers and by the community-education programs supported by the councils. I congratulate this year's winning councils for their noteworthy achievements, and applaud the many other councils that were in the running and did so much outstanding work.

"In addition to the 20 councils designated either 'Outstanding' or 'Meritorious,'" Fanning pointed out, "four councils received Honorable Mention for their programs and activities. The traditional progression has been from Honorable Mention to Meritorious to Outstanding. The minimum goal this year for all Navy League councils should be to achieve Honorable Mention status; the councils now listed as Meritorious should increase their efforts to the level needed for designation as Outstanding--and the councils already listed as Outstanding should make every effort possible to retain that ranking."

Annual Report a Prerequisite

The Outstanding and Meritorious Council Awards are presented each year, at the NLUS national convention, to councils that have demonstrated exceptional achievements in all areas required, in accordance with the criteria postulated in the Navy League's Operations Manual. Among the various types of activities included in the criteria are membership recruitment and retention, community education, youth activities, general council activities, legislative education and/or public affairs activities, and support for sea-service recruiting efforts. The on-time submission of the council's annual report also is required--failure to submit the report on time is, in fact, one of the principal reasons that a number of councils are excluded each year from consideration for the Outstanding/Meritorious Awards.

The councils designated as "Outstanding" for their 2002 activities and events (council presidents' names in parentheses) are, in alphabetical order: Cape Canaveral, Fla. (Fred D. Carl); Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Nicholas J. Di Nunzio); Golden Isles, Ga. (Franklin A. Hart Jr.); Hampton Roads, Va. (David H. Adams); National Capital, D.C. (Randy W. Hollstein); New York, N.Y. (Robert A. Ravitz); Richmond, Va. (Henry A. Miles Jr.); San Diego, Calif. (Jack C. Clark); Savannah, Ga. (John Findeis); and Seattle, Wash. (Thomas E. Jaffa).

The councils designated as "Meritorious" for their 2002 activities and events are: Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula, Wash. (Vernon O. Young); Charleston, S.C. (Herndon A. Oliver III); Coastal Carolina, N.C. (Corwin Strong); East Oahu, Hawaii (William F. Bigelow); Greater Central Texas (R. Glenn Looney); Mayport, Fla. (David Van Saun); Massachusetts Bay, Mass. (Eric L. Lekberg); San Diego County Women, Calif. (Barbara Nimesgern); San Francisco, Calif. (Stanley E. Ellexson Jr.); and Stockton, Calif. (James R. Dyke).

The councils accorded "Honorable Mention" status for their 2002 activities and events are: Atlanta Metropolitan, Ga. (Albert V. Mota); Glenview, Ill. (Bobby V. Ferguson); Newport County, R.I. (Shirley A. Hill); and North Jersey, N.J. (Lee D. Shickel).