Every December, Jonthon's department holds their annual Christmas party where they serve a nice dinner and honor the distinguished faculty member for the year. It is the one time a year that the spouses and faculty members all get together. I can now recognize most of the wives, but meeting them only once a year makes it hard to form any kind of real relationship. Still, it is nice to have a date night every once in a while and chat with other adults!
As we were walking into the Hinckley Building I cheekily said, "I wonder what old guy is going to win the award this year." We both laughed, but had to acknowledge the truth of the words. In the past it has always been the longest tenured faculty member (that hasn't received the reward yet) that just happens to win. In other words, it never has anything to do with how hard they worked or how much they contributed to the department. We always came away from the night feeling like it was an award for show only. This year there was a new department chair, but we figured it would be more of the same.
The meal was delicious, and we had a fun table with great conversation the whole night. When it came time for the award, we were shocked when Mike Brown announced Jonathon's name. Jonathon was the "old guy" that won the award. Haha! Apparently, the department had decided to give the award based on merit starting this year. Jonathon has worked so hard, and in my opinion, totally deserved it! He was awarded an engraved plaque, a check for $1000, and a limerick written about him. The limerick has become a tradition from one of the professors in the department, Dixon Woodbury, and is always a funny way to honor the winner. I am so proud of Jonathon's hard work and dedication. What a year it has been for him!
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