The man behind the plaques

By Jess Eagle

Like many attendees of Keystone award ceremonies of years past, Don Gilliland was unsatisfied with the structure of the program.

Award winners would line up and walk onto a stage to receive their plaques or certificates when their name was called, much like many graduation ceremonies.

"It became known as the 'cattle call,'" Gilliland said. "After 10 minutes or so, people just stopped clapping."

Gilliland, managing editor of The Potter Leader-Enterprise and PSNE board member since 2002, attended the board meetings where PSNE and PNA brainstormed new ways to present awards to the recepients. For at least five years, he said, the brainstorming continued.

"The only thing harder than trying to organize newspaper people is trying to organize drunk newspaper people," he joked.

When they finally decided to restructure the program, it was not much better, in his opinion, so he called to complain.

"They said, 'Well, do you have a better idea?'" When Gilliland said he did, they told him, "Then do it."

So he did.

In his new model of the ceremony, which he began last year (2008), award winners would stand when their name was called, and one of the volunteers from PNA would bring them their awards. The volunteer, however, would know ahead of time where the winner was standing, and would "hover" in the area of their table to cut down on time.

Another time-saving change: calling only the names of the winners who are present at the ceremony.

Friday, the day before this year's award ceremony, Gilliland and some other helpers spent about six hours preparing the plaques and organizing for the program. His goal for the ceremony's end was 10 p.m. (it started around 6:30), and the program concluded around 9:40, an improvement in only the second year.

Gilliland joked that it went from being a cattle call to a "bucket brigade," but said that the new structure allows winner to feel a sense of recognition and honor when presented their award, while at the same time cutting the time of the ceremony down significantly.