2018 Annual Meeting Dinner & Awards Ceremony
Leif Erikson Hall, Seattle – April 29, 2018
Photos by Martin Ng
Download 2018 EHC Annual Meeting Dinner & Awards Ceremony Program
Download 2018 Annual Dinner Awards Flyer
Download 2018 Annual Dinner Press Release
Click the thumbnail images below to view some photo captions:
Cultural richness abounds. A joyful late afternoon gathering was already underway inside Leif Erikson Hall as guests arrived to sign in, grab a glass of wine or a beer and join in. The Folk Voice Band came early to play for the volunteers and catering crew. In no time at all, guests who came in native dress were dancing to the engaging international repertoire of the Folk Voice ensemble. It was an intimate gathering of about 120 where Scandinavian ambience came together with the compelling beat of klezmer music from the Jewish Yiddish music scene of Seattle. Hovering over all the merrymaking were the 100-year-old murals that enrich the walls of the hall and were the subject of one of the award recipient’s presentation.
Awards presented. The Norwegian community’s Christine Anderson received the 2018 Aspasia Phoutrides Pulakis Memorial Award, established in 1983 for significant contributions to an ethnic community and to the community at large. Christine was nominated by JoAnne Rudo. Harvey Niebulski, M.D. was honored with the 2018 Gordon Ekvall Tracie Memorial Award, established in 1990 for excellence in ethnic performance and leadership in the community in the traditional cultural arts. Harvey was nominated by Luther Black, Bernice Maslan, and Marianne Tatom. Karoline Morrison became the first recipient of the Ethnic Heritage Council Leadership and Service Award, established in 2018 for extraordinary contributions to the development of the Ethnic Heritage Council.
Nourishment and a little business. After a Norwegian-themed buffet prepared and served by Larry Helms of Sound Catering, the Annual Meeting was called to order by President Rosanne Royer. EHC Treasurer Tino Salud presented the financial report and Royer presented the slate of board candidates for 2018-2019, both approved. A welcomed surprise was the nomination from the floor by JoAnne Lee of John Morovich to join the board. The addition was roundly applauded and approved. Ann Wright, Project Director of EHConnect, a new program of the Ethnic Heritage Council, gave an update and showed a prototype of the online portal with social media interfaces where regional ethnic community organizations and leaders consolidate and share ethnic heritage information and resources and increase their public visibility.
Celebrating down to the last minute. The Tracie Memorial Award was scheduled as the final feature of the evening so the energetic performance by recipient Harvey Niebulski and Ensemble, including members of the popular Klez Katz of Seattle, could round out the evening for as long as we wanted the music and dancing to go on. Thank you to Leif Erikson Lodge for allowing that to happen.
A full description of the evening and the achievements of the recipients can be found on the EHC website www.ethnicheritagecouncil.org where the full printed program for the event and the press release can be downloaded here.