President’s Awards

The President’s Award is made periodically at the discretion of the President to honor outstanding service or contribution to the mission of the Victorian Society in America.

2016: To Tina Strauss and John Waters, for jointly creating and ultimately leading the Chicago Summer School, a long-held goal of the Society – all the while exhibiting patience, perseverance and attention to every detail, thereby creating a course which has elicited rave reviews from both their colleagues and their students. Presented with our thanks and gratitude on April 30, 2016 by John Simonelli, President. 

2014: To Gavin Stamp, for his longstanding commitment to the Victorian Society in America’s Summer Schools and in honor of his many years of leadership with the London Summer School Program, particularly the exceptional trips to the Midlands. Given with our gratitude in the 40th anniversary year of the London program.

2012: To Bruce Davies, for his five years of dedicated service to the Victorian Society in America as President of the Board; for his patience, perseverance and compassion while serving in this position; for his continued support of his colleagues and his unfailing good humor; and for being the Canadian representative of and to the Victorian Society in America.

2012: To Pauline Metcalf for her longstanding commitment to the Victorian Society in America; for her continued support of the Summer Schools; for the expertise and guidance she shares with the students and her colleagues; and for her generosity which touches so many lives. Presented by President Tina Strauss at San Antonio, TX.

2011: To Richard Guy Wilson, director of the Society’s Newport Summer School, received a special President’s Award for his tremendous contribution to the success of the Society’s Newport Summer School, for his excellence in teaching, guiding, coordinating, and creating camaraderie among the Newport students, and for his unfailing dedication, grace, support and commitment to the Society for over 31 years. The award was presented by VSA President Tina Strauss at a reception held for this year’s Newport scholars at the home of Pauline Metcalf on June 8, 2011.

2010: To Charles Robertson for distinguished service in conserving and interpreting America’s artistic and architectural heritage, and to William Ayres for distinguished service in conserving and interpreting America’s material culture, at Albany, NY by President Bruce Davies.

2007: To Gwen Koch for her long-time love and support of the Society, especially her warm and endearing dedication to its Summer Schools, having actively served on its Summer Schools Committee for many years. Presented at Mobile, AL by President Bruce Davies.

2006: To John J. Simonelli for his extraordinary generosity of spirit, time and expertise during many years of distinguished service to the Society and for his continuous commitment to preserving and sharing the 19th Century heritage of America. Presented at St. Louis, MO by President Bruce Davies.

2005: To William Dane, who from the earliest days of the founding of the VSA in Margot Gayle’s kitchen right down to the present day has been consistently involved with and actively supported many aspects of the Society, including serving on the Summer Schools Committee for many years as both member and co-chair, serving as president of the NY Metro Chapter, and serving as an officer of the Summer Schools Alumni Association.

2005: To C. Dudley Brown, who from our earliest days has worked selflessly to promote and further the aims of the Society, serving nationally as Director, Secretary and Historian on the Board of Directors as well as locally as President of the Washington, DC Chapter, who helped initiate the silent auction, licensing and endowment programs to ensure the Society’s survival, and who consistently has promoted preservation of and education about our Victorian heritage. Presented at San Juan, PR by President Pat Pixley. 

2001: To Sallie R. Wadsworth

2000: To Mike Leigh, Director of “Topsy-Turvy” for a motion picture portraying the creation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado which evokes the cultural and social world of late Victorian London with surpassing wit, insight and sympathy, and which contains some of the most striking depictions of Victorian interiors ever captured on film, by President John J. Simonelli.

1999: To Margot Gayle, Preservationist, Author, Founder of Societies, Friend of Cast Iron, Intractable Foe of Vandals and Rapacious Developers, by President John J. Simonelli.

1998: To Mills Lane upon the completion of his diligent endeavor to provide a readily available compilation of photographs, prints, plans, and historical background in his ten-volume series “Architecture of the Old South” by President Billie S. Britz.

1994: To William E. Fischelis for outstanding service. Presented at San Francisco, CA by President Billie S. Britz.

1993: To Richard E. Slavin for outstanding service. Presented at Jekyll Island, GA by President Billie S. Britz.

1990: To Samuel J. Dornsife for outstanding service. Presented at Natchez, MS by President Billie S. Britz.

1989: To C. Dudley Brown for outstanding service. Presented at St. Louis, MO by President Guy Lacy Schless.

1988: To Christopher Forbes and Sibyl McCormac Groff for outstanding service. Presented at Charleston, SC by President Guy Lacy Schless.

1987: To Richard H. Howland and Helen Tucker for outstanding service. Presented at Toronto, ON by President Guy Lacy Schless.

1986: To Brendan Gill and Margot Gayle for outstanding service. Presented at Philadelphia, PA by President Guy Lacy Schless.

1986: To George Vaux and Ruth Emery for outstanding service. Presented at Des Moines, IA by President Guy Lacy Schless.