Awards
ABANA has created three awards recognizing the contributions of both individuals and organizations and their role in promoting blacksmithing. Each award looks at a different aspect of the preservation of blacksmithing from individual contributions, furthering connections with the general public, and disseminating information to local affiliate groups.
The Bealer Award is named after Alex W. Bealer, one of the founding members of ABANA. It is the most significant and prestigious award given by ABANA and honors the chosen recipient for their service to the field of blacksmithing. The award winner is presented with a froe, Alex Bealer’s favorite tool, which is engraved in their honor. The first recipient was Frank Turley (1982) and other award winners have included Francis Whitaker, Clifton Ralph, Dorothy Stiegler, Mark Aspery, and others.
The Heritage Award was established in 2009 to recognize organizations and the key individuals that lead them in their service to the community by increasing public knowledge and awareness of blacksmithing. Prior award winners include the Anderson Blacksmith Shop at Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, the Metal Museum in Tennessee, the Whitaker and Spencer Forges at the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina, and more.
The Joe Humble Newsletter Editor of the Year Award is named for Joe Humble who established the first ABANA affiliate organization and also served as a newsletter editor for 14 years. The Humble Award recognizes those dedicated to producing newsletters for ABANA affiliate organizations which exemplify the affiliate’s goals, share and promote the work of their members, and present an overall appealing newsletter.
was posthumously awarded the Bealer Award in 2015.
awarded the Heritage Award in 2014.
ABANA Office
47 Walnut Street, Suite 200
Johnstown, PA 15901
Mailing Address
PO Box 462, Johnstown, PA 15907
(814) 254-4817
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