SFWA is delighted to announce that this year’s Kevin O’Donnell, Jr. Service to SFWA award goes to Michael Armstrong.

A long-time resident of Homer, Alaska, Michael attended Clarion in 1975, graduated from New College of Florida in 1977, and earned an MFA from the University of Alaska, Anchorage in 1986. His thesis novel sold to Warner and was published as After the Zap (1987,) but his first published short fiction appeared F&SF in 1981. He is the author of numerous short stories as well as other novels  Aqviq: The Whale and The Hidden War. A sampling of his service to the organization:

• Contracts Committee (late 1980s-late 1990s; chairman, 1997)
• Western Regional Director, 1997-2000
• Bylaws Committee (Michael Capobianco version), 1997-2000
• Nebula Awards Juror, short fiction, 1996, 1997
• Nebula trophies “rocks wrangler,” 1998, 1999, 2000, and the author of several “History of the Nebulas” articles for the Bulletin during this time.
• Grievance Committee, novel specialist, 2000-present

In proposing Michael for this honor, South/Central Regional Director Lee Martindale said:

Michael’s been working non-stop, deep in the bowels of SFWA’s nuts and bolts, for at least as long as I’ve been a member (14 years).  He was on the bylaws committee I chaired for six years, and was one of the most solid contributing members there.  He’s also been on the Grievance Committee for at least 14 years, as Novel Specialist, and John Johnston tells me his record of successfully closing cases (as in getting our members what they’re owed) is exemplary.  I can tell you, from my own six years as Mediation Specialist, that that takes a serious level of commitment to the organization and its members, and is a significant “gift” to the organization in terms of time and skillset.  And, because of the nature of the work and the conditions under which successes are achieved, it, quite literally, goes thankless.  Unlike other volunteers, GriefCom folk can’t tout individual achievements.