Kevin O'Donnell Jr. has been selected to receive the 2005 Service to SFWA Award. He is only the eighth member of the organization to receive this honor.

Presentation of the award will be made during the Nebula Awards'® Weekend, April 28-May 1, 2005, at the Allegro Hotel, Chicago's Loop Theater District. Registration details are available at http://www.sfwa.org/awards/2005/

Kevin's service to SFWA covers sixteen years and numerous volunteer positions. He has been an invaluable member of our community whose tireless work has benefited a generation and more of writers. He has chaired the Grievance Committee for nearly six years, going that extra yard to investigate claims of illegal or unethical contracts, assertions of plagiarism, evidence of contract violation by editors and publishers, misuse of royalty statements and funds, and other complaints of professional concern. He has constantly put himself on the line for the benefit of our members.

Kevin was Chairman for the Nebula Awards Committee for almost ten years and has chaired the Nebula novel jury. He was Business Manager for the SFWA Bulletin, and is currently a member of the SFWA Board of Advisors. He has also served on the web staff, maintaining the contacts pages at the SFWA web site, as well as organizing two web directories. A list of his service, however, hardly begins to touch the many times he has pitched in to help with tasks small and large, often behind the scenes; updating SFWA records, researching information for other volunteers, and in general helping out the organization wherever needed.

Kevin has a distinguished record as an author. His first publication appeared in Analog magazine, in October of 1973. He has since published a total of fifty-nine short stories, fifteen articles, and ten novels, and he has seen his work reprinted in the UK, France, Spain, Germany, and Israel. His novel ORA:CLE (Berkley Books, 1984) won the 1987 Prix Litteraire Mannesmann Tally for the best novel published in French in 1986 dealing with computers.

On August 15, 2005, Kevin will be retiring as Chair of the Grievance Committee and passing the mantle to John Barnes. It is with deep gratitude that SFWA acknowledges Kevin O'Donnell Jr.'s thorough service and his unwavering determination and willingness to serve its members.

Kevin O'Donnell Jr. joins a distinguished list of recipients for the Service to SFWA Award: Chuq von Rospach (1996), Sheila Finch (1997), Robin Wayne Bailey (1998), Pamela Sargent and George Zebrowski, jointly (2000), and Ann Crispin and Michael Capobianco, jointly (2004).

Posted February 20, 2005