Archivist Allen Weinstein Honors National Personnel Records Center Staff
Press Release · Saturday, June 11, 2005

Washington, DC

Washington, DC…At the National Archives annual State of the Archives Address and Awards Ceremony yesterday, Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein recognized thirteen staff members of the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis for their outstanding contributions to the agency.

In his remarks, Professor Weinstein addressed NARA employees saying, "Your professionalism, your commitment to the work at hand, your response to NARA customers and partners, your sense of mission, have all been exemplary. I thank each and every NARA employee who has contributed to my understanding of the agency. Our customers recognize, as I do, the high quality of work performed at NARA."

The following NPRC employees were given the "Outstanding Contribution to NARA" group award for their creativity, planning and execution in opening the Official Military Personnel Files to the American public: Bryan McGraw, William Seibert, Marta O’Neill, Linda Torrusio, Eric Voelz, Amy Sandberg, Nancy Stanfill-McCarty, Beverly Mahoney, Lenin Hurtado, Diane Rademacher, Jackie Ostrowski, and Michael Pierce.

NPRC Assistant Director for Civilian Records Thelma Martin received the Archivist’s Award for Lifetime Achievement.

On June 11, 2005, the National Personnel Records Center officially opened to the public nearly 1.2 million official military personnel files of former United States Navy and Marine Corps enlisted personnel who served in the military between 1885 and 1939. The opening also included the files of former Presidents, famous military leaders, Medal of Honor recipients, celebrities, entertainers, and professional athletes who served in the military. The recipients of the award were also responsible for the planning and execution of the NPRC Archival Dedication Ceremony and a professionally designed display focusing on notable military personnel files and documents recovered from the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor.

Professor Weinstein presented Thelma Martin with the NARA Lifetime Achievement Award for her 33 years of service. Ms. Martin’s career is marked by sustained success providing outstanding leadership to support America’s veterans and civil servants, protecting their official personnel records, and developing NPRC staff.

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For press information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at 202-501-5526.

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