Affirmation: Gay & Lesbian Mormons

The 2003 Mortensen Award
2003 Affirmation Conference, Salt Lake City

October 2003

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.

Ben Jarvis Receives the 2003 Mortensen Award

Ben Jarvis receiving
the 2003 Mortensen Award

From the official announcement read at the 2003 Affirmation Conference in Salt Lake City:

Ben Jarvis joined Affirmation in 1994, and from day one he “hit the ground running.” He has been working for Affirmation in one capacity or another from 1994 up to the present. Perhaps Ben's most visible contribution to Affirmation was his leadership in bringing us the Long Beach National Conference in 2001. The conference was one of the best we have had and succeeded even though it was nearly sidelined by the 9/11 events that preceded it by a few days.

Ben Jarvis is the person you are referred to when you call the national phone line. In that capacity, Ben has spent countless hours on the phone counseling and helping people who are trying to come to grips with their homosexuality and Mormonism. Some of you here may have had your first contact with Affirmation with him.

Ben Jarvis is a principled man of character. He has also included his parents and other family members in his efforts for us. His dedication and service to Affirmation has made him a dear friend to many of us in this organization. He is indeed one of Affirmation's great ambassadors.

So it is with enthusiasm that Affirmation: Gay and Lesbian Mormons is happy to give the 2003 Mortensen Award for outstanding service and leadership to Ben Jarvis from the Los Angeles Chapter.