Awards & Scholarships

Golden Light Award
Honoring Professional Excellence

"OGR members are caring men and women who do their jobs because they care about people when they are at their most fragile. To be singled out by my colleagues as an ex maple of the good is very humbling to me. I just do what the rest of my colleagues do."

Harold Lake, 2007 Golden Light Award Honoree

The Golden Light Award is OGR's most prestigious award honoring professional excellence. As an OGR member, you have opportunity to nominate a fellow member who has distinguished himself or herself in the funeral profession through OGR involvement, community service or volunteer activities that demonstrate "service measured not by gold, but by the Golden Rule."

Eligibility
Anyone affiliated with an OGR member firm is eligible for the Golden Light Award, including owners, employees and self-nominations. Such individuals will have demonstrated a commitment to the funeral profession through:

• Service to OGR as a committee member, Regional Chairperson and/or Board member;
• Community service activities;
• Contributions to the funeral profession;
• Development of programs within OGR or the funeral profession and community that serve as examples of "service measured not by gold, but by the Golden Rule";
• Or other instances of exemplary work within the profession.

The Golden Light recipient is recognized at a special ceremony at the Annual Conference Banquet.

Nominatations for the 2008 Golden LIght Award begin September 2008. For information, contact Karen Gentles, director of membership. Gentles can also be reached at (800) 637-8030.

Golden Light Award Recipients

2007 Golden Light Award Recipient



Harold Lake
Rindt-Erdman Funeral Home
Arkansas City, Kansas


Harold Lake is well-known for his leadership and service to his client families, to his community and to his OGR colleagues. He consistently offers friendship to all.

"OGR members are caring men and women who do their jobs because they care about people when they are at their most fragile. To be singled out by my colleagues as an example of the good is very humbling to me. I just do what the rest of my colleagues do. I do appreciate this Golden Light Award "

Lake's involvement in OGR includes serving as Regional Chairperson for 2007-2008, on the Board of Directors from 2002 to 2005 and on various standing and ad hoc committees. He was instrumental in researching and launching OGR's Compassionate Care aftercare program.

Lake has a distinguished record of community activity, as well. He is past president of the Arkansas City Rotary Club and the Chamber of Commerce. For six years, Lake has chaired the Arkansas City Day Care Canter. Currently, Lake sits on the board of Hospice, Inc. and is president of the Arkansas City Community Health Foundation as well as the Memorial Lawn Cemetery board. He is a member of the Arkansas City Habitat for Humanity board. Lake's funeral home also sponsors a little league football team.

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2006 Golden Light Award Recipient
Michael G. Butler
Livingston-Butler-Volland Funeral Home & Cremation Center
Hastings, Nebraska

2005 Golden Light Award Recipient
Thomas P. Lynch
Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors
Milford, Michigan

2004 Golden Light Award Recipient
Billy K. Wages
Wages & Sons Funeral Home
Stone Mountain, Georgia

2003 Golden Light Award Recipient
Bonnie Helweg-Campbell
Helweg Funeral Service, Inc.
Jenkintown, Pennsylvania

2002 Golden Light Award Recipient
Glenn P. Taylor
Glenn Funeral Home & Crematory
Owensboro, Kentucky

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Exemplary Service Awards
Honoring outstanding service

The Exemplary Service Awards recognize those funeral homes who have displayed outstanding professionalism and exemplary service. The criteria for receiving an Exemplary Service Award are comments from families gathered through the Family Contact Program, a family evaluation of the service received from members. Comments that represent a family’s satisfaction and indicate that the funeral home performed in an exemplary manner are chosen for this award.

Each year, the collection of family comments are reviewed by the regional chairpersons who choose the top three instances of member firms providing service above and beyond what is typically expected. Those firms are honored as Gold, Silver and Bronze Exemplary Service Award winners. The awards are conferred at a special awards ceremony at the Annual Conference.

2008 Award Recipients

Gold Exemplary Award
Lew Hall
Gentry-Morrison Funeral Home
Lakeland, Florida

Silver Exemplary Award
Stephen L. Pierce
Muehlebach Funeral Home
Kansas City, Missouri












Bronze Exemplary Award
W. Peter (Pete) Templeton and Staff
Templeton Funeral Homes
Paris, Illinois

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2007 Award Recipients

Gold Award
Charles A. Castiglia
Lakeside Memorial Funeral Home, Inc.
Hamburg, New York

Silver Exemplary Award
John B. Christian
Cassaday-Turkle-Christian Funeral Home, Inc.
Alliance, Ohio

Bronze Exemplary Award
Kent Christiansen
Myers Mortuary
Layton, Utah

2006 Award Recipients

Gold Award
Paul Kroeger
Kroeger Funeral Home, Inc.
Logansport, Indiana

Silver Award
Richard K. Stevens
Windsor Locks Funeral Home
Windsor Locks, Connecticut

Bronze Award
Brent Erickson
Erickson Funeral Home
Darlington, Wisconsin


2005 Award Recipients

Gold Award
J. T. Morriss & Son Inc
Petersburg, Virginia

Silver Award
Patton Funeral Home
Brownsville, Kentucky

Bronze Award
Bumpers Funeral Home
Butler, Alabama

Bronze Award
Wappner Funeral Directors
Mansfield, Ohio

2004 Award Recipients

Gold Award
R. Rayden Smith Funeral Home
Hampton, Virginia

Silver Award
Brinsfield Funeral Home
Leonardtown, Maryland

Bronze Award
Lescher-Millsap Funeral Home
Muskogee, Oklahoma

2003 Award Recipients

Gold Award
Price Funeral Home, Inc
Manassas, Virginia

Silver Award
Munden Funeral Home & Crematory
Morehead City, North Carolina

Bronze Award
Krueger Funeral Home, Ltd
Blue Island, Illinois

Bronze Award
Trader Funeral Home, Inc
Dover, Delaware

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Scholarships

OGR offers two scholarship programs to eligible mortuary science students: the Awards of Excellence Scholarship and the Koven L. Brown Scholarship Program.

Awards of Excellence Scholarship Program
The OGR Awards of Excellence Scholarship Program funds tuition and expenses to mortuary science students. Scholarship winners are selected by a committee of OGR members on the basis of community activities, honors received, grades and commitment to the pursuit of excellence in funeral service. The objective of the program is to support outstanding mortuary science students who are about to enter the funeral service profession and to increase visibility of OGR and Golden Rule funeral homes among bright employment candidates.

Applicant Requirements
To apply for an OGR Awards of Excellence Scholarship, the applicant must:

• Be currently enrolled in an accredited mortuary science school
• Graduate after January 31, 2008
• Submit proof of a GPA of 3.0 or higher
• Complete and submit an application form by Oct. 19

Application Form
Applications for the 2007 Awards of Excellence Scholarships are closed for 2007. Check back in August 2008 for information on the 2008 application process.

2007 Awards of Excellence Scholarship Winners
The following students were awarded the 2007 Awards of Excellence Scholarships and will be recognized at OGR's Annual Conference in Chicago:

• Gold Award - Tawanda D. Burgess - Fayetteville Tech Community College, Fayetteville, NC
• Silver Award - Jennifer L. Bennink - Worsham College of Mortuary Science, Wheeling, IL
• Bronze Award - Cherelia D. James - Gupton-Jones College, Decatur, GA

Koven L. Brown Scholarship Program
The Koven L. Brown Scholarship Program was made possible by OGR member Koven L. Brown based on his desire to assist mortuary science students with demonstrated financial need. Applications for the Koven L. Brown Scholarship are closed for 2007. Check back in November 2008 for information on the 2008 application process.

2006 Koven L. Brown Scholarship Program Scholarship Recipient
Tracy L. Spiess - Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan

Contributions
The Awards of Excellence Scholarship Program is funded solely by contributions from members and supporters of OGR. Contributions may be sent to OGR. Contact OGR's director of education/meetings by e-mail or by calling (800) 637-8030.

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