Listen to this articleUtah Pride Festival organizers call the Kristen Ries Community Service Award the “highest honor our community can bestow,” and nominations are now being accepted.
The first Utah Pride community service award was created by Donny Eastepp, Emperor XII of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire, while serving as Gay Pride Day chair in 1987. The award was established to recognize outstanding service to the gay community and was presented to Dr. Kristen Ries, M.D., for her humanitarian efforts in dealing with the AIDS crisis. The community service award was afterward named in her honor.
Criteria for the nominations include dedicated love of the LGBTQ+ community, the giving of time, money, service, and commitment to building or supporting the LGBTQ+ community, being a positive role model for the LGBTQ+ community members, and exemplifying compassion, leadership, and courage.
Nominations from the community for someone who exemplifies those traits are open through May 12 at utahpride.org/award.
Nominees are reviewed and awarded by past award recipients and announced during Utah Pride week, June 1 through 4.
Past awardees are:
- 1987- Dr. Kristen Ries, M.D.
- 1988- Rev. Bruce Barton
- 1989- KUTV Channel 2
- 1990- Chuck Whyte
- 1991- Nikki Boyer, Becky Moss, Ben Williams
- 1992- The College of Monarchs of the Royal Court of the Golden Spike Empire, Craig Miller
- 1993- Ben Barr, Val Mansfield, Kathy Worthington
- 1994- Kim Russo
- 1995- Bruce Harmon
- 1996- Clariss Cartier (Doug Tollstrup), Charlene Orchard, Barb Barnhart
- 1997- Rev. Kelly Byrnes, Jeff Freedman, Maggie Snyder
- 1998- LaDonna Moore
- 1999- Dr. Patty Reagan, Ph.D.
- 2000- Marlin Criddle
- 2000- Brenda Voisard
- 2001- Laura Milliken Gray
- 2001- Brook Heart-Song
- 2002- Kevin Hillman
- 2003- Doug Wortham
- 2004- Luci Malin
- 2005- Jane & Tami Marquardt
- 2006- Jackie Biskupski
- 2007- Doug Fadel
- 2008- Stan Penfold
- 2009- Walt Larabee
- 2010- Mark Swonson
- 2011- Michael Aaron
- 2012- Valerie Larabee
- 2013- Brandie Balken and Charles Lynn Frost
- 2014- Fran Pruyn and Mark Lawrence
- 2015- Courtney Moser
- 2016- Peggy Tomsic
- 2017- Todd Bennett
- 2018- Alan Anderson
- 2019- Sue Robbins and Pepper Prespentt
- 2020- Karrie Galloway
- 2021- Chris Wharton
- 2022- Suzanne Stott and Arlyn Bradshaw
Nominations are open through May 12 at utahpride.org/award.
