NOLS Alumni Service Award Goes to Ogden

During its 50^th anniversary celebrations Oct. 9, the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) presented its 2015 Alumni Service Award to Dr. Herbie Ogden. The Alumni Service Award is given to a devoted alumnus who has served the school in exemplary ways as NOLS pursues its mission to teach leadership, conservation and outdoor skills.Ogden is a 1979 NOLS graduate, a former instructor, a past member of the NOLS Board of Trustees, and is the school’s medical advisor.

“Ogden is a trusted friend, confidant … and a singular example of NOLS volunteerism,” said NOLS Board Chair Duncan Dayton as he announced the award. “In fact, because he effectively supervises the medical performance of over 750 field and wilderness medicine instructors, he’s been called the ‘bravest guy in the world.’”

Dayton noted Ogden’s focus on students in his work with NOLS.

“I could go on at length about [Ogden’s] decades-long involvement with the board, or his help with NOLS’ original medical protocols and their ongoing evolution. I could detail the times he took complicated medical calls from our staff, or responded quickly to the school’s urgent needs, sometimes at the expense of his paid work or family. I could explain how [Ogden’s] trust in NOLS’ staff training systems and his willingness to analyze decisions, including his own, inspires admiration and envy in the outdoor education world,” Dayton said as he introduced Ogden and his award. 

NOLS would not have had so much to celebrate after 50 years in education were it not for the thoughtful and passionate work of alumni like Ogden.

About NOLS

Since legendary mountaineer Paul Petzoldt founded the school in 1965, more than 254,000 students have graduated from the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), the leader in wilderness education. Whether through field-based courses offered in some of the most awe-inspiring locations in the world or classroom-based courses, the school provides transformative educational experiences to students of all ages. Graduates emerge as active leaders with lifelong environmental ethics and outdoor skills. To discover the NOLS experience or to bring a course to your business or organization, call (800) 710-NOLS (6657) or visit www.nols.edu.

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