OFHS Newsletter Takes Top Honors

First Place Award in the Family Associations Category

    2003 Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library’s   Family Tree Newsletter Contest

It was a Sunday like any other, the last few hours of a too short weekend.  I was curled up on the couch lost in my drawings, when the phone rang.  Not recognizing the name I let the machine screen the caller.  Then suddenly Alan appeared and said I think you might want to take this call something about the newsletter.

 On the phone was Beth Gay of the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library.  After identifying herself, she said she was calling to notify me that our Newsletter had taken first place in the Family Association’s Magazines Category and that I would be receiving the certificate and ribbon that week in the mail.  Each participating newsletter would also receive a score sheet that was used to evaluate the publication along with written comments made by the judges.  

After speaking with the woman and calling Ronny to let him know the news, I located their website online at http://www.electricscotland.com/familytree/index.htm. The website included issues of the Family Tree Magazine which has a pressrun of 80000,  several newsletters from various societies and a wealth of genealogical resources.

For those of you not familiar with the library, the Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library, founded on a million dollar bequest from Ellen Ashby Payne Odom in 1990, is situated in Moultrie, Georgia.  The library has one of the largest collection of genealogical materials on the eastern seaboard of the United States.   “Also a record number of Scottish clans have declared the Odom Library as the depository of their genealogical archives.”

 Also on the website I found two articles. One detailing last year’s winner’s and another this year’s.  After noting the names of other winners, I went out on the net to gleam an idea of what the competition was like.  One thing that became apparent was that the competition was stiff.  Some of the newsletters, journals, and magazines, we were competing against, had staffs of editors and photographers ( say at least 3-4), a lot more money, could do color and some even had professional backing. For example the MacNeil Galley, that won the Master’s group, has over 1000 members from 6 countries.

 I would like to close this with the following thank you. 

I could not have accomplished this  without the support, contributions and suggestions of all the members. Especially I would like to thank Ronny, Tom (in absentee), Bill Gann, Gary, Floyd, Dee, Bill and Lois Patillo, Shelia . I did not achieve this alone we all did together!

Other awards won by the Newsletter include:

The Ellen Payne Odom Genealogy Library Family Tree Newsletter Contest  

1997          Honorable Mention in the Surname Societies

1998          2nd Place in Surname Societies

1999          3rd Place in Bound Family Associations category

 

National Genealogical Society's Newsletter Competition

 1997          1st Place in Family Associations