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The Charles L. Whistler Awards
The Charles L. Whistler Award – the most prestigious honor given by the Mayor's Office – again will recognize one or two individuals who have brought together the Indianapolis public and private sectors for civic improvement. This is the 23rd year for the award, and we invite you to nominate a current leader who exemplifies this vital Indianapolis tradition.
A lawyer and community leader in the grand tradition, Charles L. Whistler gave his time and extraordinary abilities to the Indianapolis community without asking for power or position in return. At the time of his death in 1981, he was a senior partner at Baker & Daniels and chairman of both the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee's Urban Growth and Revitalization Task Force and the White River State Park Citizen's Advisory Committee.
As an Indianapolis Star editorial noted shortly after his death in 1981: "Charles L. Whistler was a visionary, talented and energetic prime mover who had a leading role in shaping the Indianapolis of today and its modern political structure. He loved the capital city and the Hoosier state, town and county, urban scenes with beauty and character, and the great outdoors. He had the persuasive ability often associated with the authors of constitutions, and used it to win strong support and positive contributions from others, often representing diverse interests, for the array of projects and programs that he helped conceive and bring to fruition. He wrote much of the legislation consolidating city and county governments under Uni-Gov. He also had a leading role in the modernization and beautification of downtown Indianapolis and the creation of the City Center on Monument Circle, the adaptive reuse of the Indiana Theater, the downtown retailing mall concept, and the planning of the White River State Park."
It is most fitting that we honor leaders in Whistler's memory. They are building on the foundation for success that he so skillfully laid.
Award nominations are open to all in the community. If you would like to nominate a candidate, please click here to download the nomination form and return it by the deadline of Thursday, July 12. Candidates should reflect the passion and the skill that Charles Whistler displayed for making the public-private partnership work for the overall betterment of the community. Currently appointed government employees and elected officials are ineligible for the award.
The recipients of the award – presented by the Mayor through the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee – will be recognized at a ceremony on Tuesday, September 18, at the Skyline Club. Please note that, unlike the evening receptions of the past, the 2007 event will be a breakfast gathering, starting at 7:30 a.m. Award recipients' names will be added to a limestone and granite monument located in the Charles L. Whistler Memorial Plaza at the City Market.
Past Whistler Award Recipients
1983: Thomas H. Lake
1984: Thomas W. Binford & David R. Frick
1985: Frank P. Lloyd
1986: Phillip R. Duke & Thomas W. Moses
1987: Mattie M. Coney
1988: Donald W. Tanselle
1989: Ramon L. Humke & Henry C. Ryder
1990: Richard O. Morris
1991: Eldon Campbell
1992: Michael A. Carroll
1993: William G. Mays & James T. Morris
1994: Fred C. Tucker, Jr.
1995: Robert H. Reynolds
1996: Thomas M. Miller & Sam H. Jones
1997: Dr. Gene Sease
1998: Jack Shaw & Dan & Lori Efroymson
1999: Andrew Paine & Yvonne Shaheen
2000: Rev. T. Garrott Benjamin & Michael Maurer
2001: Jerry Semler & Fay Williams
2003: Alex Carroll & Rev. Charles Williams
2004: Dr. Beurt SerVaas & Gerald Bepko
2005: Joseph D. Barnette, Jr. & G. Frederick Glass
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