Section Record news staff wins state awards • B • NORFOLK—Several mem- Tee Walker, an associate and bers of the Rappahannock one-time cellmate of Dr. Martin Record news staff won awards Luther King. “This article was in the 2008 Virginia Press Asso- so personal, I wanted to learn ciation (VPA) News, Editorial more about the good doctor and March 26, 2009 and Photo Contest. The awards what he has done with his life,” were presented Saturday night wrote the judge. during the annual VPA awards The prize-winning fea- KILMARNOCK, VIRGINIA banquet in Norfolk. ture photo was of a youngster Reporter-photographer Reid watching a monarch butterfly Pierce Armstrong won two fly to freedom. first-place, one second-place Correspondent Audrey Tho- and four third-place awards in masson took a first-place award competition among state news- in the Personal Service category papers similar to the Record in for her feature titled “Green circulation size. eggs and a plan” in last year’s She took first in the Govern- Windows on the Bay supple- Dr. George Moore receives ment Writing category for a ment. It covered the “green” selection of three stories. They attributes at nearby Locusville included a first-person account Plantation. of trying to keep up with Rep. “The writer caught my atten- Outstanding Service Award Rob Wittman on a busy day, a tion and then made me fall in report on watermen seeking love with the Coursons and by Audrey Thomasson support on Capitol Hill and their green eggs,” wrote the This award honors a lifetime of outstanding service, leadership, com- a report on how groundwater judge. “It’s a very good article WHITE STONE—Dr. George passion and accomplishments in the U.S. Public Health Service and management is becoming a with great photos. It really Moore was presented the U.S. local concern. stood out as a super piece, and Surgeon General’s Outstanding local and global health initiatives. “This is just plain good in this day and age anything Service Award Monday during a —Rear Admiral USPHS Robert C. Williams, P.E., DEE. reporting,” the judge wrote. ‘green’ will improve the quality ceremony in his home overlook- Acting U.S. Deputy Surgeon General “Pierce Armstrong packs a lot of our lives.” ing Little Bay. of information in a little pack- Reporter Lisa Hinton-Valdri- Some 35 guests and family age, writes well, is thorough, ghi won third in the Feature members gathered to witness and keeps the reader moving Series or Continuing Story cat- the Acting Deputy Surgeon through her stories.” egory for her series of profiles General bestow the honor on Dr. Pierce Armstrong won under the theme “Everybody Moore for a career of outstand- another first in the Health, has a story.” The series is “obvi- ing achievements with the U.S. Science and Environmental ously meant to be light read- Public Health Service Corps Writing category while cover- ing— does a good job keeping (USPHS). Making the presenta- ing some similar topics. They the stories interesting. Good tion was Rear Admiral USPHS included the draft Asian oyster quotes, fun to read,” said the Robert C. Williams, P.E., DEE. impact statement, new crab judge. “It is a pleasure to recognize harvest regulations and varying Led by Hinton-Valdrighi, someone who has earned in our opinions on tap water needs. a portion of the Record staff minds a very prominent place The judge said they were “very won a third-place award in the in protecting public health,” thorough, informative and well- Special Sections or Special Rear Adm. Williams said. “This written pieces.” Editions category for a tab- award honors a lifetime of She took second in the Page loid titled “Making State.” It outstanding service, leadership, Design category for her layout appeared last year when the compassion and accomplish- of four feature articles during LHS girls basketball and wres- ments in the U.S. Public Health the year. Pierce Armstrong tling squads both made it to the Service and local and global designs approximately half of state playoffs. Editor Robert health initiatives.” the A Section pages each week Mason Jr. and graphic designer Dr. Moore thanked the and frequent full-page layouts. Sarah Bowis also had a hand in admiral for traveling all the way The winners included a Year in producing the section. to White Stone. He maintained Review feature in which film The judge said it was a that it was his good fortune to be strips running across the entire “Great example of a section able to promote and practice the front page highlighted top news that records an important com- concepts of preventive medicine photos from 2007, a Back to munity accomplishment. Great and public health in the U.S. and School page, a page on kids idea and well done.” overseas. and butterflies, and a House of “It should be without question Winning video Green feature in last year’s Win- History was also made Satur- that the maintenance of our dows on the Bay supplement. basic public health framework is From left, Dr. George Moore receives the Outstanding Service Award from Acting day when multimedia manager Deputy Surgeon General of the U.S., Rear Admiral Robert C. Williams. Honorees are Pierce Armstrong won third- Mike Kucera won first place the single most important means place honors in the Education of preparing our nation for the chosen by the Surgeon General and only two or three are awarded each year. for the online video “Better Writing, Business and Finan- to Kayak,” which supported a threat of bioterrorism and meet- cial Writing, Personal Service ing the overall health needs of the American people,” he said. mile-and-a-half of paved roads, no working hospitals and a death feature article in the The Rivah rate from smallpox of 50 percent in children under the age of 10. Writing and Feature Photo cat- Visitor’s Guide, jointly pub- While Rear Adm. Williams noted how special it was to meet egories. someone who had dedicated his whole life selflessly to worthy A letter from Michigan missionaries offering medical help lished by the Rappahannock causes, Dr. Moore said until receiving the award, he had ques- and a willingness to build a hospital put a kick-start in Dr. The education topics cov- Record and the Southside Sen- tioned the worthiness of his life’s work. Moore’s goal to provide a health program that the nation could ered zero tolerance, recruiting tinel in Urbanna. The papers “I’ve often wondered about my career—if it was worthwhile eventually take over and run. The missionaries not only recruited teachers and funding cuts. The began using video on their or not,” he said. “But having the Acting Deputy Surgeon Gen- and trained Nepalese as nurses, the additional help allowed him judge wrote: “Pierce Arm- websites during the past year eral come down and give me this award—I can’t get over it. I to travel to the countryside and address smallpox and malaria. strong knows how to keep the and this is the first contest entry never expected it.” The doctor proved there was no obstacle so big that he could reader’s attention until the end in that category. Dr. Moore chose to enter the U.S. Public Health Service as not find a way around it. While medical training did not teach of the story.” Kucera’s video took first in a medical officer in the second year of his residency, adding a him how to deal with a sharply different culture, he found ways The business and financial the Specialty Publications Cat- master’s in preventive medicine and public health to his résumé to adapt and be accepted. topics included housing needs, egory against larger publica- to support his choice. When a radio message from Washington informed him the crop yields and the departure of tions such as Style Weekly and “I realized I didn’t want to sit in an office all day seeing political situation was dangerous and they were suspending the the Miss Ann at the Tides Inn. Richmond Magazine. patients,” he said. “This was an opportunity to serve our country arrival of personnel and supplies, he traveled to Calcutta and “The writer shows capability The judges commented, in the world and I was happy to do it.” secured basic, although primitive, lab equipment including a to tell stories from basic news “Excellent use of music and His first assignment in 1951 was at Fort Bragg where venereal kerosene-operated incubator and refrigerator. to features. Nice use of quotes, voiceovers along with great disease was out of control. He changed the base practice of pun- Traveling by foot or by elephant to remote Sherpa villages in give life to subject matter.” B-roll. Well done.” ishing soldiers who tested positive for V.D. and applied preven- the Himilayas, his team encountered armed tribesmen who had Pierce Armstrong’s winner in To watch the kayak video, go tive measures like education and shutting down local brothels never seen a Western face and whose only experience with out- the Personal Service category to RRecord.com and search for spreading the disease. siders was the Maharaja’s tyranny. Persevering through language was an article about Dr. William “Yakking 4 Fish.” Later that year, the Corps sent him to Nepal. It was the days barriers, the team soon won them over. They were offered the of Sir Edmund Hillary, Antarctic explorer and the first climber religious temples to set up temporary clinics. with a native Nepalese to reach and return from the summit of Dr.