October 2006

The Mortensen Award was established, under the direction of Ron Kershaw, in 1987. It was decided the award would be given annually to the one individual who had given outstanding service and leadership to Affirmation. It is the only continuing award Affirmation presents and it tries to recognize the best people in the organization. The past recipients are:

1987 - Paul Mortensen 1988 - Clifford Barnes (†) 1989 - Ina Mae Murri 1990 - Irwin Phelps (†) 1991 - Ron Kershaw (†) 1992 - Larry Gates 1993 - Rick Fernández

1994 - Tere LaGiusa & Jacki Riedeman 1995 - James Kent 1996 - Duane Jennings 1997 - Ricky Gilbert 1998 - David Johnson 1999 - Henry Miller 2000 - Alan Blodgett

2001 - Scott MacKay 2002 - Olin Thomas 2003 - Ben Jarvis 2004 - Mike Miner 2005 - Hugo Salinas 2006 - Brus Leguás Contreras 2007 - James Morris & Aaron Vinck

The selection committee for the award is composed of past recipients. Each year, around July, a call is sent out to all Affirmation leaders, chapters and groups asking for nominations. Anyone may nominate any individual or you may even nominate yourself. The receipt of nomination letters constitutes the only people considered for the award.

The award was established and intended to always be an award for service to Affirmation. This is the only consideration in the selection of the recipient. We greatly applaud those wonderful souls in our midst who also make great contributions to the gay and lesbian community at large. We especially applaud those people who have made outstanding efforts in the Mormon community through related groups such as Family Fellowship, Gamofites and others in increasing the understanding of the gay and lesbian Mormon community.

But because the Mortensen Award is intended to honor only service and leadership to Affirmation, the winner is decided totally on the merits of the nomination letters received and the contributions to Affirmation as spelled out in those letters.

James Kent receives the Mortensen Award

1995 Mortensen Award Presentation

The Mortensen Award Committee (past recipients) received letters of nomination for 1995. The committee selected one of these individuals to receive the award. Although the other six individuals are not the recipients, they I need to be recognized for their invaluable contributions:

Rod Foster,
Jeff Jensen,
Rob Killian,
Scott MacKay,
Henry Miller, and
Tom Peterson.

This year's recipient of the award is one of those individuals who has been giving dedicated service to Affirmation since the day he first came to the organization. He came to the San Francisco chapter in 1989 and found a place where he belonged. He found love, understanding, and a welcome. He has spent all his time since then dedicated to returning the favor. He was an enthusiastic and hard worker in San Francisco chapter and served in almost every leadership capacity, including chapter director. For a time, he was largely responsible for keeping the chapter together and functioning. When he moved from San Francisco a great void was felt.

His enthusiasm for Affirmation always shows. He has served in the national organization in 1992. He has moved to Philadelphia, and drives to Washington, DC for Affirmation meetings several times a month, and, as usual, taking part making newcomers welcome. His friendly nature is always present. Now he is has the responsibility as the co-chair for Chapter-at-Large.

What distinguishes him most is his gentle and loving spirit. This gentle spirit makes everyone love him and feel welcomed and loved themselves. His long-term commitment and dedication to Affirmation embodies the very spirit of the Mortensen Award.

On top of all that dedication and service, he has also distinguished himself as Affirmation’s premier premier “drag queen.”

It gives us great honor to present the 1995 Mortensen Award for outstanding leadership and service to James Kent.