Chapter members who have met the requirements of the President’s Call to Service Award.
| In January 2003, President George W. Bush signed an Executive Order creating the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation (The Council) within the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS). The mission of The Council, as set forth in the Order, is:To encourage the recognition of outstanding volunteer service and civic participation by individuals, schools, and organizations and thereby encourage more such activity, especially on the part of America’s youth.To facilitate awareness of the ways in which Americans throughout our history have helped to meet the vital needs of their communities and Nation through volunteer service and civic participation. The Council has established several award levels. The President’s Call to Service Award recognizes 4,000 hours or more of volunteer service over the recipient’s lifetime. Persons of all ages are eligible to receive the award. The award includes a lapel pin (left), a Personalized Certificate, and a Congratulatory Letter from the President of the United States. All awards are ordered through official “Certifying Organizations.” These organizations verify the hours of each nominate, nominate qualified volunteers, and distribute the Awards locally. The Council created an awards program known as the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. The awards recognize individuals, families, and groups that have achieved a certain standard measured by the number of hours of service over a 12-month period or cumulative hours earned over the course of a lifetime. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office is the registered and approved Certifying Organization for the Texas Master Naturalist Program. The State Office nominates Certified Master Naturalists for recognition and administers procedural matters. Local Chapters present the awards. In the years since the Cradle of Texas Chapter was founded in 2001, several members (or former members) have received the award. They are listed below in the order of the date of the award. Phil Huxford – November 2008 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2013/01/phil-huxford-earns-presidents-call-to.html Phil was awarded the President’s Call to Service Award in recognition of contributing over 5000 hours of service helping Brazoria County residents understand the local natural resources and how to use them wisely. A member of Texas Master Naturalists since 2001, Phil contributed to our community with many citizen science projects, such as his Brazoria County Copperhead Study. He has been involved with many educational activities including bird banding, bird counts, butterfly counts, plant surveys, and guided tours. He has assisted with the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory’s annual “Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza,” and has served as chairperson of the annual Migration Celebration for the past eight years. Phil has also served as Vice-President of the Cradle of Texas Chapter. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Tracie Teague – November 2008 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/p/tracie-teague-earis-presidents-call-to.html Tracie received the President’s Call to Service Award in November 2008 at a meeting of the Texas Master Naturalist Mid-Coast Chapter. The award was presented in recognition Tracie’s volunteer efforts on behalf of the Cradle of Texas Chapter, the Mid-Coast Chapter, and their partner organizations. At the time of the award, Tracie had donated over 5000 hours of volunteer service. Tracie was a member of the Cradle of Texas Class of 2002 and qualified for certification that same year. In 2006, she transferred her membership to the Mid-Coast Chapter. The Mid-Coast Chapter includes, Aransas, Calhoun, Jackson, Matagorda, Refugio, San Patricio, and Victoria Counties. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Mary Helen Israel – January 2009 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2013/01/mary-helen-israel-earns-presidents-call.html Mary Helen is a charter member of the Cradle of Texas Chapter and has served as editor of the Chapter’s Newsletter, Chapter News, since its inception. She has been an active participant in several of the Chapter’s volunteer activities including Migration Celebration, Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza, and the Summer Library Program “Nature at the Libraries,” presented at branches of the Brazoria County Library System. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Texas Master Naturalist State Office were the Certifying Organizations for this award. Tom Collins – February 2009 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html Tom received the President’s Call to Service Award in February 2009 at a meeting of the TMN Hill Country Chapter at the Riverside Nature Center in Kerrville, Texas. The award was presented in recognition of his volunteer work on behalf of three organizations: TMN Cradle of Texas Chapter, TMN Hill Country Chapter, and Sea Center Texas. At the time of the award, Tom had donated over 5000 hours of volunteer service to these organizations. Tom was a member of the Cradle of Texas Chapter from its founding in 2001 until 2006 when he moved away from Brazoria County. ” Most of Tom’s work with the Hill County Chapter has been with Monarch butterfly monitoring and other butterfly counts at the parks and nature centers in the area, both as a trainer and a participant. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department were the Certifying Organizations for this award. Denis Mudderman – October 2009 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2013/01/denis-mudderman-earns-presidents-call.html Denis Mudderman has donated over 5000 hours to the National Wildlife Refuge System since 2005. During the summer months he volunteers at Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge in Rochert, Minnesota. During the winter months he volunteers at the Texas Mid-Coast Refuge Complex based in Brazoria, Texas. The complex administers three National Wildlife Refuges: Brazoria NWR, San Bernard NWR, and Big Boggy NWR. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service was the Certifying Organization for this award. Jim Renfro – April 2010 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2013/01/jim-renfro-earns-presidents-call-to.html Jim received the President’s Call to Service Award in April 2010 at a meeting of the TMN Cradle of Texas Chapter at the Brazosport Planetarium in Clute. The award was presented by Chapter Membership Chair Jerry Eppner in recognition Jim’s volunteer efforts on behalf of the Chapter and its partner organizations. At the time of the award, Jim had donated over 5000 hours of volunteer service. Jim was a member of the Class of 2001, the first intern training class offered by the chapter. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Roy Morgan – January 2013 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2013/02/roy-morgan-and-tom-morris-earn.html Roy is an active volunteer at Sea Center Texas where he serves as a tour guide, often leading tours for school children. He sometimes dons scuba gear to go “Swimming with the Fishes,”. He also assists other partner organizations including the Brazosport Planetarium and Nature Center, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Brazoria County Parks Department, and Gulf Coast Bird Observatory. He is a Certified Texas Master Naturalists, Class of 2004. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Tom Morris – January 2013 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2013/02/roy-morgan-and-tom-morris-earn.html Tom is an active volunteer at Sea Center Texas where he serves as a tour guide. He often leads tours for members of the general public and school groups. Tom also volunteers with other partner organizations including Sea Center Texas and the Brazosport Center for the Arts and Sciences. Tom organizes and leads Whooper Crane Trips on Matagorda Bay. Tom is Certified Texas Master Naturalists Class of 2004. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organizations for this award. Marty Cornell – September 2013 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2013/09/marty-cornell-recognized-for-5000.html Marty Cornell is recognized for contributing over 5000 hours of service to our community. Marty was a member of the Class of 2004. He qualified for certification in December 2004 and has recertified every year since. Marty has been an active volunteer with particular emphasis on the Discovery Environmental Education Program (DEEP) a Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge. The Texas Master Naturalist Program was the Certifying Organization for this award. Jerry Eppner – January 2014 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2014/03/jerry-eppner-earns-presidents-call-to.html Since 2004, Jerry has also contributed over 2000 hours volunteering as member of the Texas Master Naturalist Cradle of Texas Chapter assisting with the Xtreme Hummingbird Xtravaganza, Migration Celebration, Bird and Butterfly Counts, and many other activities including serving as the membership chair for the organization. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Texas Master Naturalist State Office were the Certifying Organizations for this award. Ed Barrios – March 2014 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2014/03/four-tmn-cot-members-earn-presidents.html Ed serves on our Chapter’s Board of Directors as State Representative, conducts advanced training classes, and participates in our Environmental Education programs. He volunteers with Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges and serves on its Board of Directors as President and as a member of its Migration Celebration Planning Committee. He is a member of Brazoria County Master Gardeners Association and has served as its President. Between February and April of each year, Ed volunteers for the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide programming provided free tax-preparation assistance to taxpayers with low or moderate incomes. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Sandy Henderson – March 2014 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2014/03/four-tmn-cot-members-earn-presidents.html Sandy has served on our Chapter’s Board of Directors as Treasurer. She volunteers with Gulf Coast Wildlife Rescue and serves on its Board of Directors and as Treasurer. She is a member of Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges and has served on its Board of Directors and on its Migration Celebration Planning Committee. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Justina Dent – March 2014 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2014/03/four-tmn-cot-members-earn-presidents.html Justina was a founding member of our chapter and has been an active volunteer since its founding. Justina is an active participant in our Environmental Education and outreach efforts. She joined other chapter members during our field trips to Matagorda Island in 2009-11. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Texas Master Naturalist State Office were the Certifying Organizations for this award. Neal McLain – March 2014 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2014/03/four-tmn-cot-members-earn-presidents.html Neal serves on our Chapter’s Board of Directors as newsletter editor and webmaster for our Chapter’s website. He volunteers with Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges and serves on its Board of Directors as a member of its Migration Celebration Planning Committee, and as webmaster for the organization’s website. He volunteers with the Brazoria County Historical Museum cataloging maps, and serves on the Brazoria County Historical Commission as Secretary. He is a member of the Brazos Valley Railroad Society and manages its website. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Texas Master Naturalist State Office were the Certifying Organizations for this award. Dave Brandes – August 2014 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2014/08/two-tmn-cot-members-earn-presidents.html Dave Brandes is member of the TMN-COT Class of 2006. He served as Chapter as Training Director in 2007 and as as Chapter president for more than four year. He has served on the GCBO Board of Directors and its Advisory Board. Dave has been an active volunteer in numerous Chapter activities and environmental education programs. He has served as a tour guide at Sea Center Texas participates in the Brazoria County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, the Citizens Emergency Response Team, and the Medical Reserve Corp. As an amateur radio operator he holds Call Sign W5DJB. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Barbara Burkhardt – August 2014 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2014/08/two-tmn-cot-members-earn-presidents.html Barbara is member of the Class of 2003. She has served our chapter as State Representative (2005-06), Secretary (2007), and President (2011-12), and Past President (2013-14). She is a certified Texas Master Naturalist and a certified Texas Master Gardener. She is a dedicated gardener, and often opens her backyard garden to Chapter members for study and research. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Jim Calvert – September 2016 http://tmnnewsarchive.blogspot.com/2016/11/jim-calvert-receives-presidents-call-to.html Jim Calvert has reached the 4000-hour Volunteer Service milestone. In recognition of this accomplishment Jim has been awarded the President’s Call to Service Award. Jim was a member of the Class of 2004. He qualified for certification in December 2004 and has recertified every year since. Jim an active volunteer on behalf of Brazos Bend State Park. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Pete Romfh – October 2018 Pete Romfh is a member of the Class of 2012. He is an active volunteer and has served our chapter as photographer, teacher, and volunteer coordinator. Many of his photographs have won awards at Migration Celebration Photo Contest. In recognition of this accomplishment Pete has been awarded the President’s Call to Service Award. It was awarded at the TMN State Meeting in Rockwell, Texas. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Carolyn May-Monie – November 2018 http://tmn-cot.org/Newsletters/Chapter_News_2018-11.pdf Carolyn May-Monie is a member of the Class of 2002. She has served our chapter as President and as Training Director. She has been an active supporter of our environmental education programs and has lead many classes. In recognition of this accomplishment Carolyn has been awarded the President’s Call to Service Award. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Ruby Lewis – November 2018 http://tmn-cot.org/Newsletters/Chapter_News_2018-11.pdf Ruby is a member of the Class of 2005. She serves our chapter as outreach director, arranging nature-themed programs at libraries throughout Brazoria County and other public venues. Many of her presentations include live reptiles including turtles, a juvenile alligator, and non-venomous snakes. In recognition of this accomplishment Ruby has been awarded the President’s Call to Service Award. The Texas Master Naturalist State Office was the Certifying Organization for this award. Chris Knuepper – March 2020 Chris Kneupper was a member of the class of 2016. He is a retired chemical engineer who has lived in Brazoria County for over 45 years. A charter member of the Brazosport Archaeological Society and long-term member of the Texas Archeological Society, Chris has participated in many excavations in the county and around the state. He is also a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas and the Texas Master Naturalist “Cradle of Texas” chapter and has served on the board of directors of The Cradle Of Texas Conservancy (CTC) for 30 years Based on his overlapping interests, Chris has recently done extensive research into the history and archaeology of the several forts situated at the mouth of the Brazos River, in what is today Surfside Beach (formerly old Velasco). He has produced a lengthy report and literature survey, emphasizing primary sources, and has created a website to make the report and some obscure references available to the public. (https://velascohistoryarchaeology.weebly.com/). Chris is also an expert in native plant identification and regularly serves as a trainer for the botany module for each intern class Oron Atkins – July 2020 Richard Schaffhausen – October 2021 Dick was in the 2013 Intern class. He joined the board in 2013 as the communications director and was on the board until 2018. He continues to serve on the communication committee and writes press releases of the meetings and Facebook posts of meetings and events. He has been involved with DEEP since 2013 and assists with TMN outreach programs. He did water monitoring for 3 years, helped with boardwalk construction off and on, and Apple Snail removal at Hudson Woods and Resoft County Park. He has been very involved with Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges (FOBWR) as a board member since 2014. He served as Friend’s Treasurer for 4yrs, member of the Migration Celebration and A Taste of Nature committees, and most recently its web page editor. Lisa Myers – December 2022 Lisa Ladd Myers became a Master Naturalist with the Cradle of Texas Chapter in 2016, less than a year after moving to Lake Jackson from Marietta, Georgia. Lisa served on the board as secretary for five years (through 2021) and also edited the chapter newsletter for six years (final issue in June 2023). As a retired second-career teacher, Lisa enjoyed volunteer activities that involved children, especially outreach programs such as the Brazoria County Library Summer Reading Program and the Brazoria County Parks Department’s summer camps. Through COT, she became involved with the Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges, served on its board, and loved involvement in the DEEP program, refuge open houses, and the annual Migration Celebration, among other activities. While Lisa’s time as a resident of Texas ends in June 2023, she will remain a COT member and intends to participate on visits back to her “adopted” state. Amanda Gabehart – February 2024 Amanda was a 2017 graduate from the South Texas TMN Chapter in Corpus Christi. Hurricane Harvey severely impacted their training with extensive storm damage, closing many areas where they normally trained. Fortunately, they carried on. Amanda graduated, certified and recertified, all before the end of the year. She was determined to earn the hatching Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle pin! She was already an experienced volunteer at the Padre Island National Seashore Turtle Lab, working with Dr. Donna Schaffer. She continued her work with the endangered Sea Turtles as a Master Naturalist. Amanda was a year-round volunteer. She did 10-hour patrols on Padre Island on weekends and days off. Amanda currently lives in Brazoria and works for the Brazoria County Parks Department. She continues to perform beach patrols for nesting turtles and is available for possible cold-stun events. She’s also the key field researcher on the “Comprehensive Survey of Spiders of Brazoria, Nueces and Kleberg Counties”. Although she hates direct contact with the webs and the spiders, she takes incredible photos, captures minute specimens, and enters volumes of data into iNaturalist! |