ASI has been fortunate in having the services of many dedicated members. The Theodore C. Hines Award was established in 1993 to honor those members who have provided exceptional service to ASI. The award is ASI's highest honor to its own, and was named for Ted Hines, who played a large part in the establishment of the Society. For those who may not have known Ted Hines, he is considered by many to have been the "founding father" of ASI, so it is fitting that we give an award in his name that "recognizes that individual who has shown continuous, dedicated, and exceptional service to the membership of ASI."
Ted Hines was born September 9, 1926. He received his M.L.S. in 1958 and Ph.D. in 1960 from Rutgers University. He taught at Rutgers, Columbia University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was a pioneer in the use of "microcromputers" and "microcomputer programs" in libraries. In 1968, Dr. Hines convened the first formal ASI board meeting in New York. He died June 25, 1983. In an obituary for Prof. Hines, Dick Kollin wrote, "Ted left his mark on many of us, and the profession is the better for it."
Hines Award Nomination Process
The Hines Committee needs members to consider nominations for this Award. Nominations are gathered each spring and the presentation of the Award is made at the Annual Conference. Please be thinking of someone who has offered distinguished service, perhaps as an officer, board member, or committee member, or who has worked with ASI for the advancement and improvement of the indexing profession. Talk to your colleagues and seek support for your nomination by having them write letters of support for your nomination letter. Then send your nominating and supporting letters to the Hines Committee chair. The recipient, who should be a current or former active member of ASI, will receive a lifetime membership in ASI.
Previous winners are listed below.
Recipients of the Hines Award
The Theodore C. Hines Award was established in 1993 to honor those members who have shown continuous, dedicated, and exceptional service to the membership of ASI. Devon Thomas represents these qualities as evidenced by her activities on behalf of ASI and the larger indexing community.
Devon began her contributions to ASI in 2006 and has volunteered continuously since then at a variety of levels and in many capacities. In her work at the chapter level and with SIGs, she has been co-president and secretary of the Heartland Chapter and served as Culinary SIG leader after the sudden death of the previous incumbent. Devon also worked on several digital publications SIGs.
At the national level she has been active in numerous positions since 2014: as a member of the board of directors twice, including a term as president; and as chapter relations coordinator. In that capacity, Devon played a huge leadership role in the IRS-mandated transition in the legal structure of chapters and SIGs. She patiently answered questions about chapter banking, websites, and reporting requirements. She also advised chapter leaders on ways to deal with declining membership and attendance at chapter events.
Devon helped guide ASI through the uncertainty of the pandemic by serving brilliantly as our conference chair. Devon took the new virtual format that Kendra Millis had spearheaded in 2020 and ran with it. From late 2020 through mid-2022, she organized four major programs, all of which were well attended, favorably reviewed, and profitable, helping the indexing community continue to learn and stay engaged.
At the international level, Devon has acted as ASI’s international representative and serves as the meeting organizer for ICRIS, the International Committee of Representatives of Indexing Societies.
During her long period as a volunteer, Devon has also focused on indexing education. She has moderated ASI webinars and online courses and has written numerous instructive articles and conference reports for Key Words and has written for The Indexer. In addition, she is a UC Berkeley indexing course instructor.
Devon's article in Key Words, “Reflections on Inclusive Language and Indexing,” is a substantive piece that served as the foundation for ASI's website page on diversity equity, and inclusion resources.
She presents regularly at ASI and international events such as the 2022 Berlin conference.
Devon is an eloquent spokesperson for both ASI and indexing. A shining example of this is the March 2023 webinar that she and Kate Mertes co-presented for an audience of publishing professionals titled “Index Confidential: A Conversation about How Indexing Can Make Better Books.” Produced by the Workflow Committee of the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), the event had 140 registrants, including attendees from Columbia University Press, University of Chicago Press, University Presses of Florida and Kentucky, Washington State, Rutgers, Penn State University Press, Penguin Random House, New York Public Library, Johns Hopkins University Press, and more.
As Shelley Quattrocchi noted in her letter of nomination:
Devon’s long list of former and continuing contributions, in combination with her kindness and approachability, make her an especially valuable member of our indexing community and very deserving of the Hines Award.
Meghan Miller Brawley stated in her letter of support:
Devon’s contributions to ASI and the indexing profession in general are truly extraordinary. There is very little Devon won’t do if asked, and a lot she volunteers to do before even being asked. She is invaluable to ASI, and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award.
Michele Combs’s summarized her letter of support with the following:
In short, I cannot speak highly enough of her professionalism and collegiality. Whatever she does for ASI is done well and carefully, with tact and good humor to boot. Devon certainly deserves this recognition and I hope the committee will agree.
We do.
(Signed Fred Leise, committee chair; Ina Gravitz; and Kendra Millis)
The 2020 Hines Award was presented to Kendra Millis. Letters of nomination highlighted different aspects of Kendra's many contributions to ASI and to the indexing profession in general.
Kendra served for a total of six years as a member of the ASI Board of Directors and as ASI president. Her service to ASI includes starting the ASI Webinar Series, serving as chair of the Marketing Committee, forming the Publishers' Outreach Committee, and writing articles for Key Words. All of these endeavors are part of ASI's mission of education and support of indexers. Kendra also organized the 2018 Strategic Planning event, where board members worked to establish a vision and course for ASi's future.
Kendra's commitment to education is evident in her work on the Webinar Series, in her role as a University of California-Berkeley course instructor, and also in her extensive involvement with the ASI Annual Conferences. She has presented numerous sessions at conferences throughout the years and served as conference planner for both the 2019 and 2020 annual conferences.
Kendra's ability to handle difficult situations has served ASI well over the years, as referenced in several letters of support. All nomination letters noted her ability to connect to new indexers and to help them contribute to the ongoing health of ASI. Kendra's leadership is an asset to ASI — past, present and future.
The Hines Committee received two nominations packets for Fred, each containing numerous supporting letters. These letters highlighted different aspects of Fred’s many contributions to ASI and to the indexing profession in general.
At the national level, Fred was a member of the national Board of Directors and ASI president twice, serving for a total of eight years. As a member of the board, he helped to bring ASI into compliance with the new IRS organizational tax-exempt status. He also worked on by-laws revisions and is chairing this year’s Excellence in Indexing Award committee. As a contributor to annual conferences, Fred has taught many workshops, most notably conceiving and teaching the original “The Naked Indexer,” as well as the pre-Conference workshop for beginning indexers. He has contributed articles to Key Words and chapters to ASI/ITI volumes, in addition to work as a co-editor. Additionally he has presented the “Successful Subheadings” webinar and the ASI online learning course “How to Create Brilliantly Structured Indexes.”
As an active member of the Chicago-Great Lakes chapter, Fred served as chapter president and webmaster as well as being the designer of the original chapter website. In addition, Fred Leise has been an instructor of the UC Berkeley online indexing course, generously giving of his time and knowledge to further the profession.
The 2018 Hines Award was presented to Diana Witt. Diana joined ASI in 1969, the year after it was founded, and has been actively involved with the Society ever since. Over the years, Diana has worn many hats: three terms as ASI President in three different decades; planner of two annual conferences; and service on the Board in other capacities. She has chaired or served on many ASI committees, including the Strategic Planning Committee, the Training Course Committee, and the ASI Excellence in Indexing Award Committee, and also served for several years as Chapter Liaison. At the regional level, she has held leadership roles in both the Twin Cities Chapter and the Southeast Chapter, for which she is a co-founder, and is a frequent speaker and educator at national and regional meetings. One of the letters of nomination characterized the degree of her exceptional service by saying, “Diana has never said no when ASI needed her to step forward.”
In addition to her formal contributions, letters of nomination also stressed the intangibles in her support for the indexing profession: “Diana truly shines when it comes to member recruitment, development, and mentorship… When I talk to these new recruits, it is obvious that Diana is a walking advertisement for our profession as a viable one, and that she is a phenomenal talent-spotter, always on the lookout for someone with the necessary skills and disposition for indexing.” “Her encouragement of new (and experienced) indexers is a great gift. She has a way of assuring indexers that their instincts are correct and that in our field there is no ‘one’ right way.”
The 2017 Hines Award was presented to Pilar Wyman. Through her leadership, commitment to education, mentorship, and empowerment of members, she has enhanced the future of ASI. An advocate for excellence in indexing, she has held leadership roles in ASI both at the national and international levels, as well as in Chapters and SIGs. The many letters of nomination received confirm that she is truly worthy of this honor.
A noteworthy achievement during Pilar's term as ASI president (2012–2013) was the establishment of the Best Practices for Indexing task force, which produced written guidelines for the industry. She has chaired or been a member of many national committees and has served as chapter chair and newsletter editor for the Mid-South Atlantic Chapter. As International Representative, she attended the Frankfurt Book Fair and has represented ASI at conferences of sister indexing organizations worldwide.
Pilar was instrumental in moving indexing into the digital age by advocating for e-book standards as a member of the DTTF working group. She has twice served as editor of Key Words and was largely responsible for restructuring it as an online publication. Pilar served as an exam maker for the ASI training course and was also an instructor for the USDA indexing course. She has also been active in other organizations such as the American Medical Writers Association and Society of Technical Communication. To quote one of the letters of nomination, "Her advocacy for indexing has touched many people and made them aware of what indexers can do, and how we can help the publishing world."
The 2016 Hines Award was presented to Ina Gravitz. Ina was a member of the ASI board of directors for five years and served as president in 2013-2014, spearheading the Society's difficult transition process to a new management company.
Ina's service to Chapters and SIGs is noteworthy. In addition to serving as ASI SIGs Coordinator for several years, she was a member of the board of directors and treasurer of the New York Chapter, and later became just as involved with the Upper Midwest Chapter.
Ina has also contributed to Marketing Your Indexing Services, spoken at conferences, chaired chapter and SIG committees, webinar committees, and the Wilson/EIS/EBSCO award committee, and still has found the time to mentor new members and to participate actively on indexing discussion lists. Several of the people who wrote in support of her nomination made note of her willingness to freely give her time and expertise to others, noting that she has been generous in nudging newer indexers into service to ASI in whatever role they feel best suits them. Her own service thus provides a role model for other indexers.
The 2015 Hines Award was presented to Carolyn G. Weaver. Carolyn has been, and still is, a constant, calm, and competent presence within the ASI ranks. She serves her local chapter (Pacific Northwest) admirably in various capacities, and has served on the National Board of ASI as both treasurer and president. Her nomination cites Carolyn as possessing a “great knack for dispute resolution” as well as the ability to see the “big picture”--both extremely valuable attributes for such a diverse and far-flung organization as ASI.
Carolyn played a critical leadership role in the development of ASI’s Website and still serves on the Website Committee. She has contributed to a number of ASI publications and presented workshops and sessions at ASI’s annual conferences. Her interest in educating and encouraging new indexers is a prevailing theme in all that Carolyn does. Apart from mentoring new indexers and sharing her knowledge and insights on multiple indexing-related listservs, she rose to the challenge of spearheading the substantive revision of the ASI Training Course. Her conscientiousness, responsiveness, and professionalism during this particular period is both a credit to her and a boon to the Society.
ASI is all the better for her generous and gracious spirit, and especially for her ceaseless fostering of the Society as a truly professional organization. Carolyn might dispute the fact that we are the beneficiaries of her dedication and exceptional service, believing that it is she who has gained more from being an active participant within ASI, but her nomination citation and all supporting materials attest to the contrary.
The 2014 Hines Award was presented to Kate Mertes. Kate was nominated by two ASI members Sandi Schroeder and Elizabeth Walker. Each nominated her without knowing the other person was likewise submitting a nomination. This simultaneous nomination attests to the worthiness of Kate to receive this honor from ASI which acknowledges "an individual who has shown continuous, dedicated, and exceptional service to the membership of ASI."
Kate has held numerous official posts within the ASI organization: twice she has served as ASI President, she was on the ASI Board, she served as her local chapter chair, and presently she holds the position of Conference Organizer. She has given many presentations to local chapters, at the ASI Annual Conference, and most recently via Webinar. In addition, she has written for ASI/ITI publications on such topics as theology, Greek and Roman names, law, and indexing advice for authors and editors. She also contributed a business course for new indexers (co-written with Enid L. Zafran) as a module for ASI's Indexing Training Course.
When asked to step up over and over again, Kate has not said "no." She has done so with good humor, through good times and lean times for the organization. When ASI had challenges, she righted its course with a firm hand. She participates in SIG discussions, offers advice to new indexers when they contact her, and has shown herself to be a model indexer by winning the Wilson Award 2013 for excellence in indexing. Her contribution to the profession has made her a well known name to her peers who value her leadership in the organization.
The 2013 Hines Award was presented to Jan C. Wright. The nominators included her co-chairs and colleagues from the ASI Digital Trends Task Force (DTTF), the ASI Board liaison to the DTTF, ASI's representatives to the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), fellow indexing course instructors, her own first indexing course instructor and a student of one of the courses she taught. Nominators highlighted her comprehensive commitment to ASI demonstrated through Jan's numerous ASI Chapter and Conference presentations, outreach and presentations to sister indexing societies, involvement in the beginning days of the Pacific Northwest Chapter, leadership of the A to Z Chapter, teaching of USDA and UC Berkeley Extension courses, development of demonstrations and scripts for ASI presentations to publishers, editors, and technical witers, and articles on technical indexing. In 2009 Jan was also awarded the ASI/H.W. Wilson Award for excellence for her indexing of Real World Adobe InDesign CS3.
Jan's exemplary leadership of the DTTF has produced a long list of accomplishments on behalf of the indexing profession. She made new industry contacts that began with a presentation at the 2012 O'Reilly Tools of Change conference. She forged a strong link between ASI and the IDPF which resulted in the formation of and respected work of the Indexes Working Group. Jan's perseverance and leadership have been instrumental in bringing the American Society for Indexing front and center of the discussion about the future of indexes in epubs.
The 2010 Hines Award was presented to Enid Zafran. The twelve nominators included experienced and newer indexers, a programmer, and a publisher. Nominators highlighted her wide-ranging commitment to ASI through writing, editing and publishing, teaching, and volunteer service. Since 1998 Enid has managed ASI's publications program, producing at least one book per year and often two or three. These included new editions of old standbys as well as publications on completely new topics. Enid writes and edits articles for ASI's publications, including the "A to Zafran" column in Key Words. She was instrumental in the development and initial organization of the ASI training course. Enid has long mentored a series of newcomers to indexing, providing them with training and often their first paid work. Several nominators spoke of her expectation of high-quality work from them. Enid has worked tirelessly to promote ASI at every opportunity. She has written articles for and granted interviews to local newspapers, and has searched out and befriended isolated indexers who had never heard of ASI.
Enid has served on the board of ASI for numerous terms, starting in the mid-90s, in the capacities of secretary, president, and director. She has also presented programs at many national conferences. At the chapter level, Enid has served as an officer of the Mid- and South Atlantic Chapter and has been a guest speaker at each of ASI's chapters.
The 2008 Hines Award was presented to Martha Osgood. A broad range of fellow indexers nominated Martha for the award and documented how beneficial her peer review system has been for all indexers. Having experienced the value of one-on-one critiques of her own indexes, Martha encouraged such reviews at regional chapter meetings and at informal indexer gatherings outside of those meetings. The peer review process encourages different viewpoints to be expressed. The author of the reviewed index, having actually read the book, decides which suggested strategies will ultimately work best in that particular index. The interactive process between the reviewer and the reviewee allows both to become better indexers. In addition to fostering the spread of the peer review process across the continent, Martha began and nurtures the IndexPeers discussion list, which allows geographically isolated indexers the benefits gained from the peer review process.
Martha also encourages new indexers to think carefully about what it takes to become and continue in business as a freelance indexer. In her web-based NoviceNotes, she discusses a large range of indexer resources, a sample process of indexing, issues around the business of indexing, customary marketing methods, why a person might not want to do this work, and what a reviewed index looks like. Martha's commitment to ASI and indexing has included service in several capacities on the Pacific Northwest Chapter Board, running the chapter website and listserv, and serving as listmanager for the ASI-L listserv.
The 2007 Hines Award was presented to Sandi Schroeder. Sandi was nominated by a broad range of fellow indexers who produced an impressive account of her many services to ASI and its members at both chapter and national levels. Sandi has been a member of ASI since 1988, and was largely responsible for resurrecting and maintaining the once-dormant, now vibrant Chicago/Great Lakes chapter. She is known as a personal mentor of indexers, bringing new people into the field, and training and advising them. She is also a public advocate of the art of indexing, speaking to such organizations as Dominican University library science classes, Chicago Women in Publishing, and the Publishers Marketing Association. One nominator compiled a list of over 20 national offices that Sandi has held since 1997, as an active board member, committee volunteer, SIG member, and ultimately as president of the society (1999–2000).
One of Sandi's signal accomplishments was ensuring that ASI would always have a reliable copilot: she spearheaded the effort to obtain a management organization for ASI, and indeed found and championed The Resource Center. Without that bold and inspired move, many of her successors would not have been able to take on the heretofore time-consuming and income-gobbling role of president, and many of ASI's current activities (such as the education program) could never have been attempted.
Janet Perlman, a 25-year member of ASI, is the recipient of the 2006 Hines Award. To quote one of the many letters of nomination: "Janet's professional qualifications are stellar. She has served national ASI in many ways, as a member of the Board of Directors, the Wilson Award Committee, the Web site committee, the chapter relations committee, the archive committee, the salary survey committee, and the publicity committee. Janet has contributed articles to Key Words, presented workshops at countless national conferences, and is the author/editor of the ASI/ITI's Running an Indexing Business." She attended 11 out of 14 national conferences and led sessions at seven of them as workshop leader, roundtable leader, panelist, or discussion leader.
In addition to her work for the Society on a national level, Janet co-founded the Arizona Chapter of ASI. She shared her knowledge through workshops given to chapters across the country. She has been involved in indexing education programs, and she is always willing to share her knowledge and practical advice in open forums such as Index-L. Through the Society of Technical Communicators and the Arizona Book Publishing Association, she promoted the value of indexing beyond ASI. Through her membership in the Indexing and Abstracting Society of Canada, she fostered the links between our sister Society and ASI.
Frances Lennie, a member of ASI since 1988, is the recipient of the 2005 Hines Award. She has served as Vice-President, President, and Immediate Past President of the Society (2002-2005), and also served a six-year term as Treasurer (1992-1998). Locally, she has served terms as Secretary and Treasurer of the New York City Chapter and was active in the Western New York Chapter of ASI. Her activities in training indexers include teaching the New York University indexing course for the past five years and making numerous presentations at local and national conferences. She has also represented ASI at numerous conferences overseas. Currently, she is focusing on the development of an introductory training course that ASI could offer to new indexers. Her company, Indexing Research, is the developer of CINDEX. Frances' writings for ASI publications include chapters in Indexing Specialties: Medicine and Indexing Specialties: Cookbooks (in press). In one of the many letters of support for her nomination, Patricia Aslin writes, "Generous to a fault, [Frances] has worked tirelessly to promote and protect the interest of the membership and the society at large; it is a better organization for her efforts."
The Hines Award for 2004 was presented to Robert J. Palmer, one of the founding members of the Society. To quote one of the letters of nomination: "Without his contribution, we indexers in the United States might very possibly be members of the (British) Society of Indexers. Robert Palmer, along with Theodore Hines, practically founded the American Society of Indexers single-handed." As the American Honorary Correspondent to the Society of Indexers (SI) in the 1960s, Mr. Palmer instituted talks that led in 1968 to the formation of ASI "as a serious organization with helpful ties to an experienced group across the ocean." As a charter member who has held continuous membership in ASI since 1968, he served from 1969 through 1976 on the first Board of Directors and was the writer of ASI's original constitution. He was one of the first U.S. indexers to employ indexers-in-training, was an 'early adopter' of computers for indexing, and helped to shape the indexing standards that we follow today. He was influential in recruiting many members to ASI in the 1960s and 1970s, organized many of the early meetings, continued to serve as ASI liaison to SI for many years, and helped to define the future direction of ASI. With this award, we honor one of the true giants of our profession.
Anne Leach has served ASI in an impressive variety of national and chapter positions over the years. She served on the Board of Directors and as editor of the Society's newsletter (now Key Words) from 1989 to 1995. Anne was also ASI Publicity Chair in 1991–1992. Anne has made major contributions to ASI through her active participation and leadership roles in the Golden Gate and Southern California Chapters, where she has repeatedly served as chapter president and program chair. Anne has been a frequent presenter at national meetings and chapter programs across the country. She is known for her tireless and enthusiastic promotion of indexing and indexers. Her colleagues have said that Anne "encourages all new indexers with friendliness, humor, and valuable advice and anecdotes" and that she "epitomizes the most important aspect of ASI: active membership participation."
The American Society of Indexers has presented the 2002 Hines Award for exceptional service to Jessica Milstead. Ms. Milstead has been a member of ASI since its beginning in 1968. She has served in a variety of offices, from Secretary pro tem starting at the first official ASI meeting, to Board of Directors from 1989 to 1993. She has been an instrumental member of the ASI Bylaws Committee and an important source of information on ASI's activities. Jessica is noted for her continuous service to ASI as a society officer, invited speaker, mentor, and a source of professional knowledge. Her contributions to the indexing profession go far beyond her notable service to ASI. In 1984, Jessica chaired the committee which prepared the American National Standard Guidelines for Indexes (ANSI Z39.4-1984). Jessica is prominent in the fields of thesaurus and index development, and database management. She is regarded as "one of the giants" of the information industry. She has been a member of the Board of Directors of Documentation Abstracts International (1993–1996) and the American Society for Information Science (1987–1990). Jessica has contributed numerous professional papers and books in the fields of indexing and information science, and has presented workshops and courses for ASI, ASIS, NFAIS and Rutgers University. In recognition of her many years of outstanding service, Jessica Milstead now joins the distinguished ranks of Hines Award recipients.
The American Society of Indexers (ASI) has presented the 2001 Hines Award to Linda K. Fetters, of Corpus Christi, Texas, for exceptional service to the organization. Ms. Fetters, owner of Fetters InfoManagement Co., has served in the offices of corresponding secretary, vice president, president, board member, and chair of the Publications Committee. As the Society grew, she organized the first ASI administrative office and was the Administrator for four years. In the 1980s, as indexing software was being developed and enhanced, she wrote the "Electronic Shoebox" column for the American Society of Indexers Newsletter, in which she reviewed software, suggested improvements to developers, and provided guidance to indexers in selecting software. She also wrote A Guide to Indexing Software and subsequently updated it for a total of five editions. Linda Fetters has used her organizational and technical expertise to improve the operations of ASI and the knowledge and productivity of indexers.
The American Society of Indexers (ASI) has presented the 2000 Hines Award to Nancy C. Mulvany for exceptional service to the organization. Ms. Mulvany, owner of Bayside Indexing Service in Kensington, California (www.bayside-indexing.com), has been a leader of ASI both at the national and chapter levels. She organized the Society's 25th annual conference, established ties with other national indexing societies, and emphasized education of members. In addition to her organizational contributions, Ms. Mulvany wrote the current standard text Indexing Books (University of Chicago Press, 1994) and designed the Basic Indexing course of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School, a correspondence course taken by many professional indexers.
Bella Hass Weinberg is a Professor in Library and Information Science at St. John's University in Jamaica, New York. No one in the American Society of Indexers has done more to lead indexers to higher levels of scholarship and in so doing, to elevate the profile of the indexing profession. Her activities in this regard include teaching indexing and thesaurus design at St. John's and at ASI conferences, giving in-house workshops for publishers on index evaluation, writing papers for academic journals as well as Key Words and The Indexer, and consulting on thesauri and large indexing projects.
Above all, and the reason why she received the Hines award, she has maintained a commitment to the American Society of Indexers and helped to increase the Society's visibility in the academic world. Her participation in ASI has been like a bridge connecting the worlds of academia, of publishing, of full-time in-house indexers, and freelancers. She has something to say to all of us, and let's hope she never stops!
As nominations for Dr. Wellisch showed, he exceeds the criteria. Dr. Wellisch is a Past President of ASI and is well known for his popular and authoritative book Indexing from A to Z among other valuable publications. His many accomplishments include his service as ASI's representative to the National Information Standards Organization (NISO), his Glossary of indexing terms, his two book-length bibliographies of indexing and abstracting, and his contribution to ASI's Indexing: The State of Our Knowledge and the State of Our Ignorance as well as his scholarship and service as a professor emeritus at the University of Maryland at College Park.
It's obvious that he maintains a lively interest in the goings-on in ASI, and he has a phenomenal memory for the history of ASI. Rightfully, there's been lots of concern about Hans' health, but I'm pleased to report that he looks very good: a little bit thin, but his color was great, his walk was sprightly, and he talked very animatedly.
—Maria Coughlin, upon delivering the plaque to Dr. Wellisch, July 17, 1997.
Dr. Wellisch was honored to receive this award but could not attend the Annual Meeting because of health considerations.
Indexing does not come naturally, like breathing. It is rather more like playing the fiddle: some learn to do it reasonably well, a few will become virtuosi, but most people will never know how to do it at all. This simple truth seems to be lost on publishers and editors, who almost always assume that someone who can write a book will also be able to index it. But this assumption ... is tantamount to the belief that an author can also design and cut the type from which the book will be printed.
—Hans Wellisch, Indexing from A to Z (New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 1991), x.v.
Dorothy Thomas is a past president of the American Society of Indexers. She also has been an ASI Director, served on the Wilson Award Committee and as ASI representative to NISO, taken on the role of ASI historian, and has been an indexer for some 35 years in many fields, especially legal material.
She has played crucial roles in establishing and disseminating indexing principles and standards. This includes her diligent work as ASI representative to NISO during development of the Electronic Manuscript Standard as well as her leadership in creating the criteria for the ASI/H.W. Wilson Company Indexing Award. Her 1988 presentation on "Book Indexing Principles and Standards" at the Annual Meeting of ASI still stands as one of the very few statements of indexing principles.
She has produced a series of oral histories of indexers, was senior editor for the sciences for the Academic American Encyclopedia Index, and also contributes to the field via conference presentations and workshops.
She has graciously offered advice and guidance to many in our field. Among those who sing her praises are three past presidents of ASI. Linda Fetters says "Dorothy is one of the most energetic people I know. At an age when most people would be happy to retire, Dorothy has continued her indexing career." Carolyn McGovern notes that Dorothy "has contributed to a sense of continuity that board members need as we go through a tremendous period of growth and change." And Nancy Mulvany calls Dorothy Thomas the "community memory" of ASI.
BevAnne Ross was awarded the 1995 Hines Award, in honor and recognition of her years of dedicated service to the Society and to the indexing profession. Ms. Ross died on June 3, 1995, at her home in Novato, California, after a courageous two-year battle with cancer. She was 71. The Hines Award was presented to her at her home some weeks before her death.
BevAnne Ross served as president of ASI in 1978-1979 and as a Board member for the years 1977 through 1982. She was a founding member of the ASI Golden Gate Chapter which recently recognized her devotion and efforts on behalf of the chapter with its first Distinguished Service Award. Ms. Ross was a native of San Francisco, author, editor, indexer, teacher, and prominent member of political, professional, and women's organizations.