Deb Deal Receives 2010 Sheppard Prize

Deborah Lichtner Deal of Chandlersville, Ohio, has been selected the 2010 recipient of the Walter Lee Sheppard Jr. Prize,  bestowed annually upon a genealogist who demonstrates sound practices and exceptional potential. Candidates for the award are drawn from the Advanced Research Methodology and Evidence Analysis track (Track 4) at Samford University's Institute of Genealogy and Historical Research. The stipend awarded to the recipient covers the preliminary and final application fees for individuals pursuing certification by the Board for Certification of Genealogists.

Past recipients of the prize include Teri Tillman, CG, of Natchez, Mississippi; and Phil Burnett Adderly, CG, of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Ms. Deal is a member of the Ohio Genealogical Society Board of Trustees, chairperson of the OGS Summer Workshop, the 2010 OGS conference exhibit chair, and OGS historian. She is a past president of the Muskingum County Chapter of OGS and has served as its chapter newsletter editor, cemetery
chairman, and library volunteer coordinator. Additionally, she is vice-president of the Morgan County Genealogical Society and a member of APG, NGS, NEHGS, and other genealogical organizations.

The Samford University IGHR and the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG) were both founded in 1964 by a cadre of genealogical educators seeking to advance the professionalism of the field. Across the decades, BCG has co-sponsored the IGHR; and a significant number of Board-certified genealogists have been its course coordinators and instructors.

The prize itself memorializes the late Walter Lee Sheppard Jr., one of the twentieth century's leading genealogical scholars whose example strongly promoted sound reasoning and careful analysis in all genealogical specialties. As a mentor, his discerning eye could be counted upon to identify a missed source or clue in compiled work, thereby strengthening a colleague's conclusions. A founder and president of BCG, Lee was also a fellow and president of the American Society of Genealogists, the National Genealogical Society, the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, and other bodies; and in 2007, he was elected to the National Genealogy Hall of Fame.

The Sheppard Prize is privately funded by an IGHR Track 4 graduate, for whom Lee acted as mentor and patron. The prize has no affiliation with the Board for Certification of Genealogists itself.

Elizabeth Shown Mills, CG, CGL, FASG
Course Coordinator, Track 4
Advanced Research Methodology & Evidence Analysis
Samford University Institute of Genealogy & Historical Research