The Ralph Dawdy Memorial Award

The Ralph Dawdy Memorial Award has been established to honor Ralph Dawdy of Bootheel Search and Rescue.  He was a Field Coordinator with NMSAR and also a volunteer fireman who was killed in a vehicle accident while responding to a forest fire.  The award is presented each year at ESCAPE.  The Award is to go to an outstanding SAR volunteer nominated by the nominee's team. 

The nominated individual is expected to have made significant contributions to their own team and /or NM SAR statewide.  Examples may include:

1. NM SAR mission attendance
2. NM SAR leadership as Incident Management Team staff member
3. Significant participation in leadership and / or management roles serving as a member team board of director officer or staff member or supporting role to the team’s management
4. Serving as a past NMSAR Council BoD officer or member
5. Contributing to SAR technology, infrastructure, operations, plans, or logistics program or project development, leadership, or management to improve the NM SAR community
6. Education or Training development, curriculum development, instructor time
7. Mentoring new team members
8. Coordinating or assisting NM SAR statewide, region, or national education, training, information courses such as Field Certification, ESCAPE, NASAR, Amateur Radio, FEMA, or other national recognized SAR related courses to benefit NM SAR

A three-person committee consisting of the NMSARC Chair and two other board members will review all nominations and make its recommendation for a winning nominee to the NMSARC Board of Directors for their final approval.

2024 Recipient: Spenser Moreland

RALPH DAWDY RECIPIENTS
​2024 — Spenser Moreland, Cibola Search and Rescue
2023 — Bob Baker, Area Commander
2022 — Rick Overmier, Chaves County Search and Rescue
2021 — Al Webster, Santa Fe Search and Rescue
2020 — Bill Donahue, Atalaya Search and Rescue
2019 — Carrie Hale, Organ Mt. Technical Rescue Squad
2018 — Larry Zentner, Civil Air Patrol, NM SAR Support Team
2017 — Matt Coulombe, NM Mounted SAR
2016 — Dave Baldridge, Sandia Search Dogs
2015 — Uli Blann, Organ Mountain Technical Rescue Squad
2014 — Chuck Baker, Catron County SAR
2013 — Tony Gaier, Cibola Search and Rescue
2012 — Gary (ca$h) Cascio, Santa Fe Search and Rescue Group
2011 — Charles (Chuck) Melvin, K-9 Search and Rescue
2010 — Bob Lathrop, Chaves County Search and Rescue
2009 — Paul and Linda McClendon, Santa Fe Search and Rescue
2008 — Mary Berry, Sandia Search Dogs
2007 — Bob Cowan, Los Alamos Amateur Radio Club
2006 — Beck Atkinson, Angel Fire Search and Rescue
2005 — Richard F. Himebrook, Civil Air Patrol
2004 — Dave Burdett, Santa Fe Search and Rescue

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Nomination Processing Instructions:

1. One nomination per team or group.
2. Deadline is March 15th , each year.
3. Nominee must not have received this award within the past 5 years.
4. Nominee must have at least 5 years of experience in NM SAR.
5. Nominee cannot be a current NMSAR Council board officer or member.
6. Nominations should detail the nominee’s SAR accomplishments and activities that warrant the nominee’s consideration for this Award.
7. Nominations should be submitted online using the NMSARC website.   Written nominations may be mailed to the NMSARC PO Box if the website is not available.  Written nominations may also be sent by email if the website is not available.  Use [email protected]

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Emergency?  Call 911  |  New Mexico Search and Rescue Council  |  P.O. Box 3396  |  Albuquerque, NM  87190  |  [email protected]