George Frison - was chosen as the winner in the Education Category. A Wyoming native, he was raised on the family ranch near Ten Sleep, at the base of the Big Horn Mountains. As a rancher and amateur archaeologist, Frison made several important discoveries and at the age of thirty-eight he decided to pursue a degree in archaeology at the University of Wyoming. After completing his bachelor’s degree in two years, he went on to the University of Michigan, earning a master’s degree and a doctorate in anthropology in three years.

Frison served as state archaeologist and as head of the Anthropology Department at the University of Wyoming for nearly twenty years. During his long career he received recognition for excellence in teaching and positively influenced thousands of students. As the state archaeologist, he visited every part of Wyoming, assisting in archaeological excavations, presenting programs about his work, and helping local museums to build and maintain their displays.

Frison has authored seven books, including Prehistoric Hunters of the High Plains, which relates the prehistory of the Northwestern Plains, with an emphasis on Wyoming. Considered his most popular work, it been credited with bringing an appreciation of the past and an understanding of the importance of protecting archaeological resources to thousands of Wyoming residents. He is the only Wyomingite ever inducted into the National Academy of Sciences.

Mabel Brown - has traveled Wyoming, educating the populace about the state’s historical legacy. Her attributes of independence and determination have made her one of Wyoming’s most valuable ambassadors.

George Humphrey - president of the University of Wyoming from 1945 to 1962, he presided over that institution’s greatest period of expansion.

Verda James - as an educator she dedicated herself to children with special needs and was instrumental in the organization of the School for the Deaf in Casper.

Samuel Howell Knight - famous for his teaching abilities, in the course of his fifty year career at the University of Wyoming, he taught Introductory Geology to an estimated 15,000 students.

T.A. Larson - his History of Wyoming, first published in 1965, is regarded as the seminal textbook of the state’s history.

Velma Linford - a teacher for twenty years, she authored the textbook, Wyoming, Frontier State, and served as Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Ralph McWhinnie - served as the registrar and director of admissions for the University of Wyoming for forty-three years.

Mary McBeath Odde - spent twenty-four years as a classroom teacher in Wyoming, the majority of them in Shoshoni Public Schools in Fremont County.

Dana Van Burgh - during the course of a forty-one year career, he taught earth sciences to more than 6,000 pupils at Dean Morgan Junior High School in Casper.