Congratulations to the 2023 Illinois Geographical Society Award Winners!
Four-Year College Outstanding Senior Geographers:
Claire Bess - Augustana College
Owen Bomba - DePaul University
James DiGilio - Northern Illinois University
Liv Durica - Illinois State University
Wade Filges - Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville
Eric Rivas - Northeastern Illinois University
Kevin Galindo - Eastern Illinois University
Katie Kopkowski - Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
Max Marks - Northwestern University
Distinguished Geographer Award
Stacey Brown Amilian
Outstanding Community College Student Award
Garrett Kroeschel - Lincoln Land Community College
Andrew Law - Lincoln Land Community College
Brandon Sharp - Lincoln Land Community College
Congratulations to the 2022 Illinois Geographical Society Award Winners!
Four-Year College Outstanding Senior Geographers:
Sammy Curley - DePaul University
Stephen Elmore - Eastern Illinois University
Eleanor Hollas - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Claire Iott - Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville
Isabel Liang - Northwestern University
Maggie MacPherson - University of Chicago
Yudi “Mike” Qin - University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign
Drew Schmidt - Illinois State University
Carl Schoenfield - Augustana College
Robert Strzok - Northeastern Illinois University
Claire Talbert - Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Krystina Wayne - Illinois State University
Distinguished Geographer Award
Nick Goodwin
Len Hodgman Lifetime Membership Award
Drew Schmidt
Outstanding Community College Student Award
Ryan Krizek - Moraine Valley Community College
Jackson Krol- Moraine Valley Community College
Blake Joyner - Lincoln Land Community College
Congratulations to the 2021 Illinois Geographical Society Award Winners!
Four-Year College Outstanding Senior Geographers:
Rebekah Bollin - Illinois State University
Natalia Czachorowski - Augustana College
Kirsten Gard - Southern Illinois University - Carbondale
Willard Gatlin - Western Illinois University
Elvis Henry - Southern Illinois University -Edwardsville
Everett Lau - Eastern Illinois University
Marc Loeb - University of Chicago
Anne Sedlacek - DePaul University
Jacob Wiesenthal - Northwestern University
Distinguished Geographer Award
Irving Cutler
Len Hodgman Lifetime Membership Award
Elvis Henry
Anne Sedlacek
Outstanding Community College Student Award
Barbara McKean - Lincoln Land College
Charles Womack Award
Cory Gannar - Lincoln Land College
Congratulations to the 2020 Illinois Geographical Society Award Winners!
Four-Year College Outstanding Senior Geographers:
Jade Allen-Illinois State University
Robert Burke-Augustana College
David Frye-Eastern Illinois University
Marco Lopez-Northeastern Illinois University
Luis Prado-SIU-Carbondale
Kendra Ripperda-SIU-Edwardsville
Collin Schuricht-University of Illinois- Urbana-Champaign
Mellissa Shea-Northern Illinois University
Ruth Young-DePaul University
Jessie Silva– University of Chicago
Distinguished Geographer Award
Carmen Maso’
Congratulations to the 2019 Illinois Geographical Society Award Winners!
Four-Year College Outstanding Senior Geographers:
Adam Camp, University of Illinois -Urbana-Champaign
Cy Abbott - University of Chicago
Gracie Fleming - DePaul University
Sarah Blount - Augustana College
Madeline M. Reiher - Eastern Illinois University
Matthew Zumwalt - Western Illinois University
Yael Uziel - Illinois State University
Connie Kaniew, Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Clayton Middleton, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville
Distinguished Geographer Award
Ty Liles
The Len Hodgman Life Membership Award 2019
Dean Butzow
Outstanding Community College Student Award
Jenna Staszewski, Moraine Valley College of Lake County
Alex Scheller, Lincoln Land College
Lillian Camp, Lincoln Land College
Brenden Friesland, Lincoln Land College
The Illinois Geographical Society is pleased to sponsor two awards for outstanding community college students.
The Outstanding Community College Student Geographer Award This award goes to a student who excelled in one or more geography classes within the past year. The recipient does not have to be a major in geography. The student receives a financial award and recognition at the IGS Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony. Instructors should nominate no more than two students. We will contact you if your student will receive the award so you can encourage them to attend the meeting and ceremony.
The Charles Womack Award This award is for an outstanding two-year student intending on majoring in geography. A maximum of one award is issued per year. The student receives a financial award and recognition at the IGS Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony. Instructors, we will contact you if your student will receive the award so you can encourage him/ her to attend the ceremony.
The scholarship was established at the 1996 IGS annual meeting in Normal, Illinois. It was initially funded by friends and relatives of Charles "Chuck" Womack to honor his memory and perpetuate his spirit. Chuck was an outstanding teacher of geography at Lake Land Community College in Mattoon. He was well-known, highly respected, and well-liked in his local community and among the members of IGS. Our Society is very pleased to join with his family in establishing this award to honor Chuck's lasting educational contributions to the people of Illinois.
For more information, please contact:
Dean Butzow
Department of Geography
Lincoln Land Community College
5250 Shepherd Rd.
Springfield, IL 62703
Dean.Butzow@llcc.edu