Metzler Award
In order to give proper recognition to members who have provided outstanding service to The Augustan Society, Inc., whose recognition through the Fellowship system may be felt insufficient, the Society established the Balling Award, named for Cdr. George R. Balling, OAE, the first recipient. It was soon observed that some individuals would contribute so much, so consistently, and for such a long time, that they would monopolize the Balling Award for years at a time.
It was felt that the Balling Award would be more effective if more widely spread, and it was also observed that those who earned the award repeatedly were not particularly motivated by it, but actually somewhat embarrassed by it’s repeated presentation. Thus it was decided to create the Metzler Award, named for its first (and to date, only) recipient, Dame Evelyn J. T. Metzler, OAE.
A member who has been granted the Balling Award five times, and is again felt to have made the largest contribution, is instead granted the Metzler Award, and is ineligible for both awards thereafter.
Procedure
The process for the nomination and election of the Balling Award will take place in the manner described on that page, without regard to prior awards, save that consecutive awards should normally be avoided if another worthy candidate exists.
Should the individual elected already have five grants of the Balling Award, the Metzler Award will be presented instead. In years the Metzler Award is granted, no grant of a Balling Award will be made. This could be subject to change, were two exceptionally worthy individuals identified.
Headquarters Staff will prepare a suitable certificate of award, and send it to the individual along with a letter of congratulation from the Chairman or President.
It has been suggested that a plaque be designed and presented at that year’s Annual Convention. If the member fails to attend, or if the Convention is not held in person, the plaque would be shipped to them after the Convention. No funding or design for such have yet been proposed.
It is also suggested that a permanent plaque be designed to list all recipients, and that it be placed on display at Headquarters. Again, no design or funding has been proposed.
