Nominations for the fourth annual award to honor the legacy of educator Naida Finane are currently being collected by the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church Board of Trustees.
Any resident of Anderson or Roane counties who has demonstrated a superior act of compassion, love, and/or justice is eligible to be nominated for the Naida Finane Award for Courage and Tolerance, a press release said. The recipient shall have been at the forefront as a “voice for a more compassionate and inclusive greater Oak Ridge with the action(s) recognized having occurred in the greater Oak Ridge area and restricted to human issues.”
“Naida braved the world of Oak Ridge High School, where there was no club for GLBT students and took on the leadership for the first club. She was a memorable person for many students’ lives,” said her friend and fellow educator Jinx Watson.
“Naida’s infectious enthusiasm and openness, coupled with her originality, energy, and humor, captured the imaginations of students fortunate enough to find themselves in her classrooms during her 38-year teaching career, the majority of which was spent teaching English at Oak Ridge High School. A gifted and devoted teacher, an extraordinary person, whose innate joy and determination spilled out onto her family, friends, coworkers, and others, including her students,” words taken from her obituary. She died in February 2011.
The nominator will submit a written summary of the action or actions that led to recommending the candidate for this award. This may include references, citations, or other supporting information to help verify the accuracy of the circumstances.
Nominations must be in the hand of the ORUUC Board of Trustees on or before March 31, 2017. They may be sent via mail to ORUUC at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. By email, send nominations to office@oruuc.org. Please put “Finane Award” on the subject line.
Holocaust survivor, author, and speaker Mira Kimmelman was the recipient of the award in 2016 for dedication of many years of her life to the telling and teaching of the Holocaust so that the memory will not be forgotten, the press release said.
Recognition of the winner will be made at an award ceremony to be held in the spring. Details of the event will follow.
For more information, call the ORUUC office at (865) 483-8375.
This press release was submitted by Maureen Hoyt.
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