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Governor announces new Idaho Medal of Achievement
November 14, 2015
Idaho Governor Butch Otter recently announced the creation of a new award whose intent is to honor those who have rendered notable service to Idaho and its people.

Named the Idaho Medal of Achievement, the award is the highest civilian honor conferred by the State of Idaho, recognizing individual Idahoans for their “exceptional, meritorious, and inspirational” service to the people of Idaho.

“This award is aimed at singling out for recognition those citizens among us whose life or deeds embody the best of what it means to be an Idahoan,” Governor Otter said.

“I have spoken often about the great individuals who make our state a shining example for the rest of the nation. This year I decided we should do more to recognize and salute the accomplishments of these truly great Idahoans.”

Governor Otter created the award by executive order. It will be given annually to individuals – living or dead – who are nominated by the public. “I'm asking for your help in identifying those individuals worthy of consideration,” said the Governor. A five-member Idaho Medal of Achievement Commission, appointed by the governor, will review the submitted nominations and advance the names of no more than five finalists for the Governor’s consideration.

Nominations for the award may be submitted at this website: http://gov.idaho.gov/achievement.html. The deadline for nominations is March 31 of each year; the Commission will submit finalists to the Governor by May 1. Members of the first Commission have been named by Governor Otter, and include Idaho Secretary of State Ben Ysursa, Idaho Business for Education Chairman Skip Oppenheimer, Public Employee Retirement System of Idaho board member Kirk Sullivan, and former Idaho Supreme Court Chief Justice Linda Copple Trout. A fifth commissioner remains to be named.

Hecla Mining Company, based in Coeur d’Alene, provided the silver for the Idaho Medal of Achievement and is sponsoring the award. Each medallion is made of 99.9-percent fine silver and weighs 19.7 troy ounces. It features a relief carving of the Idaho State Capitol on the front and the Idaho State Seal on the back.

“It's a prestigious medal befitting an award designed to be the highest civilian honor our state can bestow,” said the Governor. “The idea is to highlight the contributions of those Idahoans whose life's work or acts go to the heart of what it means to be an Idahoan. We should celebrate these individual's lives, revel in their accomplishments, and hold them up as models to emulate.”

The award will be presented in the Capitol at a time and date to be determined by the Idaho Medal of Achievement Commission.


 
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