NEW YORK CITY — The AMERICAN GUILD OF ORGANISTS (AGO) bestowed the Edward A. Hansen Leadership Award on Betty Jean Bartholomew at its Annual Meeting on Friday, July 9, in Los Angeles, Calif. Created by the AGO National Council in 1999 to honor the memory of the Guild’s distinguished past president, Edward A. Hansen, the prestigious award is presented biennially, in conjunction with the AGO National Convention, to recognize individuals who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the AGO. Past recipients of the award include Ruth Caswell and Karen McFarlane (2000), and Joyce Hesketh (2002).

BETTY JEAN BARTHOLOMEW, a resident of Eugene, Oreg., is music director/organist at the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection in Eugene. She established the Leadership Program for Church Musicians in the Diocese of Oregon, where she holds positions in education and administration. Ms. Bartholomew has presented workshops at AGO National and Regional Conventions, and for the American Choral Directors Association, the Association of Anglican Musicians, and at diocesan conferences. As an active member of the Guild, she was dean of the Seattle, Wash., chapter, and from 1975 to 1981, she served as a regional and national councillor. Additionally, she has held positions on the AGO Special Projects Advisory Committee, the National Convention Committee, and the Professional Concerns Committee. In 1978, she became the first woman to chair an AGO National Convention, and in 2001, she served as chair of the AGO Region VIII Convention. As a writer, she has contributed to Music in the Church: Work and Compensation and the AGO Professional Concerns Handbook. She is past dean of the Eugene Chapter, and chair of its Special Projects Advisory Committee, whose primary focus is to create scholarships to sponsor organ performances at the Oregon Bach Festival. #