Peter Roy, chairman of the NOLS Board of Trustees, obeyed tradition and wore Paul Petzoldt’s knit hat during his address at the annual NOLS State of the School gathering October 9 in Lander, Wyoming. “It’s very important for the school to recognize Paul,” the chairman said of NOLS’ founder. In summing up the fiscal year 2004 at the school, Roy said, “This is the best year in NOLS’ history. I thank you all for delivering that.”

In addition, NOLS recognized a few individuals specifically for their contributions during the 2004 fiscal year. The following NOLS Instructors and in-town staff received recognition:
Kevin Bergstrom, NOLS Instructor
Missy White, NOLS Professional Training Program Coordinator
Jenn Pine, NOLS Instructor
Jim Hutchinson, WMI Staffing Manager
Paul Cornia, Director of Information Services
Roger Yim, NOLS Instructor

NOLS also presented its annual Stewardship Award at the gathering in Lander, a recognition for land managers who are exceptional stewards of our wild lands. This year’s recipient was Gary Paull, the wilderness and trails coordinator for the Mt. Baker/Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington, where he oversees 1,500 miles of trails and 720,000 acres of designated wilderness.

In addition, NOLS Alumni received awards for their outstanding achievements. Chris Boswell (PWW 6/11/76; WRW 7/11/74; ADV 7/14/72), who served for years in the Wyoming state Legislature and now is the chief of staff for the Governor of Wyoming, was honored for his record of service. A three-time NOLS grad, Boswell’s work in politics reflects NOLS values, said NOLS Executive Director John Gans.

NOLS also honored Taylor Galyean and Marilyn Feldmeier (WMT 8/2/93) for contributing to the school with the design of the NOLS Mexico headquarters. Beginning as Taylor’s Masters thesis for architecture at MIT, the design has evolved into a beautiful environmentally sensitive campus that embodies the mission of the school. The facility itself becomes a teaching tool to the students and region with passive and active solar technology, waste composting, and gray water systems. The project has been awarded the Sustainable Design Award from the Boston Society of Architects and has been published in the journal Environmental Building News.