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IBTA Awards

Awards Throughout The Year

IBTA Awards
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

In 1958, the IBTA Board of Directors voted to establish the Telephone Man of the Year Award to recognize outstanding achievements on behalf of the Indiana telephone industry and community affairs by a member of the state telephone industry. In 1972, the name of the award was changed to Distinguished Service Award and the following have been recipients:

Hugh Barnhart
W. J. Scheidler
R. V. Achatz
E. S. Welch
William Roby Sanford
TrippetL. H. Meyer
R. R. Hirschman
LaMar S. Stoops 
Roy C. Echols
Virl A. Watkins
C. E. McCormick
J. W. Mitchell
Jack C. Cluen
James O’Connor
C. K. Trippet
Al Beckwith
Gerald Higbee
Gerald D. White
L.J. Swinford
Paul Fletchall
George Whit

1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1969
1970
1972
1974
1975
1978
1979
1982
1986
1990
1991
1991

Bennet R. Miller
Howard Pottenger
Clifford Beesley
Bechtel Winger
William H. Earles
Gordon L. Laymon
Jack R. Schutz
Alan B. Terrell
Louis J. Mize
Jack H. Whitlow
Ruthann Richards
Charles Mercer
William McGuire
Alan I. Matsumoto
George Fleetwood
Chris Bonner
Chad Miles
Donald E. Johnson
Neil Krevda
Jim Dauby
Bill Soards

1993
1994
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2002
2003
2004
2005
2007
2010
2011
2012
2016
2017
2018
2019

PACESETTER AWARD

Established in 1977, the Pacesetter Award was created to reward persons who have performed unusual service for the benefit of the telephone industry through IBTA or national industry programs. This award is available to both operating telephone company personnel and associate member company personnel. Those who have received this award are:

Robert O’Bannon
Chris Doyle
Bennet Miller
Ed Wright
Alan B. Terrell
Richard Juday
Maxine Manning
Jack Whitlow
Robert Miles, Jr.
David Lasher
Mitchell Proctor

1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1989
1990
1992
1994
1998
1999

Kathy A. Adams
Donald E. Johnson
Alan Matsumoto
Chad Miles
George Fleetwood
Gale Given
Louis J. Mize
Jolynn Butler
Stephen Bartlett
Tim Miles
Chuck Skelton
Bill Soards

2002
2002
2002
2004
2006
2006
2010
2011
2012
2013
2016
2019

ADVANCING TECHNOLOGY AWARD

This award was established in 1994 to recognize extraordinary contribution by an employee of an ITA member company to enhance the technology of the local exchange carrier industry locally, statewide and/or nationally. The award reflects the increased technology that has been introduced into the telephone industry. Those who have received this award are:

William H. Earles, Smithville Telephone Co.
Marvin E. Bailey, Ameritech
Leroy Corya, Southeastern Indiana Rural Tel. Coop
Paul Dauby, Perry-Spencer Rural Tel. Coop
Allen Terrell, Rochester Telephone Co.
Chad Miles and Tim Miles, Enhanced Telecommunications Corp.
Randy Maish, Mulberry Cooperative Telephone Co.
Mark Grady, New Paris Telephone Co.
Mark Dickerson, Pulaski-White Rural Telephone Cooperative
John Greene, New Lisbon Telephone Co.

1994
1995
1999
2000
2004
2005
2011
2012
2013
2016

HUMANITARIAN AWARD
This award was established in 1951 as the Merit Award to recognize a service performed which far exceeds the regular duty by an employee of the telephone industry in Indiana. In 1977, this award was changed to the Humanitarian Award. The following people have received this award:

Junior Hooks, Rochester Telephone Co.
Dessie Welch, Lewis Telephone Co.
Paul Wolf, General Telephone Co.
Lawrence C. Wright, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Robert T. Miles, Sr., Sunman Telephone Co.
James Graham, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Joseph Chambers & Harold James, IN Telephone Corp
John A. Ryan, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Richard E. Tinkle, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
James L. Paulson, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Delbert Harding & Joe Thatcher, Citizens Telephone
Russell Miller, Tri-County Telephone Co.
Everett R. Kern, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Kenneth Neer, General Telephone Co.
Harry Rice & Martha Ritzmann, United Telephone Co.
Ronald B. LaMastus, United Telephone Co.
Donald E. Sublett, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Brenda Sue Dunfee, General Telephone Co.
Alvin F. Milham, United Telephone Co.
Edward A. Antonides, United Telephone Co.
Nancy McQuinn, United Telephone Co.
Mark Pate, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
James R. Bruce, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Kevin Kearby, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Joseph E. Kimmel, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Neal F. Johnson, GTE North Incorporated
Ramiro Morales, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Carolyn Battreall, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Lyle Kletz, United Telephone Co.
Larry Ruehman, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Phil Rund, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Timothy Ray Jones, III, Indiana Bell Telephone Co.
Richard J. Miller, GTE North Incorporated
Paul Kisselbach and Peter Roknich, RELTEC Corporation
Buster Bradberry, GTE
Jason Rowlett & Bobby Shane, Enhanced Telecom Corp.
Andy Reed, Ligonier Telephone Company
Shannon Clark, Ligonier Telephone Company
Nancy Wertz, Verizon

1952
1953
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1967
1968
1969
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1982
1985
1986
1988
1989
1991
1992
1992
1993
1993
1995
2000
2002
2007
2007
2015