AWARDEE SPOTLIGHT: GARY ARBINO
Gary Arbino leads discussion on the Future of the Annual Meeting in Denver 2018.
At the 2019 Â鶹ֱ²¥ Annual Meeting in San Diego, Gary Arbino was awarded the Â鶹ֱ²¥ Membership Service Award. This award recognizes individuals who have made special contributions on behalf of the Â鶹ֱ²¥ membership, through committee, editorial, or office services.
“Gary Arbino, Professor of Archaeology and Old Testament Interpretation, Gateway Seminary, has been a long-time member of Â鶹ֱ²¥, and has served in several significant roles that have benefited Â鶹ֱ²¥ and its membership. In addition to his work on the membership committee (2003-2017), as an Â鶹ֱ²¥ Trustee (2005-2014), and as Chair of the Officers Nominations Committee (2009-2014), Gary served on the Strategic Planning and Rebranding Task Force that brought about Â鶹ֱ²¥â€™s most recent strategic plan. Notably, Gary most recently undertook the herculean task of chairing the Ad Hoc Committee on the Future of the Annual Meeting from 2016-2019. The question this committee was asked to address—the date and place of the Â鶹ֱ²¥ Annual Meeting, and the continued viability of meeting at roughly the same time and place as SBL—is one of the most challenging that has faced Â鶹ֱ²¥ in the past several years. Gary’s leadership in executing this task was exceptional! His detailed report with recommendations about the best way forward enabled the Board to come easily and relatively quickly to a decision, magically transforming contentiousness into consensus. In recognition of Gary’s hard work, he is awarded the Â鶹ֱ²¥ Membership Service Award.”
Arbino at work in the field.
Upon receipt of this honor at the 2019 Members Meeting, Arbino did not speak, but had he taken the opportunity he would have extended the accolade to those long-suffering members of the Committee, who put in countless hours of insightful, creative, analytic, detailed, and competent work on the two-plus-year project. Kent Bramlett, Bill Caraher, Sidnie Crawford, Erin Darby, Karen Rubinson, Eric Welch, and Lawson Younger all merit a share in the praise, since they so graciously participated in the struggle. He also would have noted the indispensable and ever-quality assistance of the Â鶹ֱ²¥ Staff and Officers. Arbino’s omission in no way should diminish the contributions of each and all of them; this Service Award is truly theirs as well.
Arbino with the Tel Miqne-Ekron excavation reunion group at the 2019 Annual Meeting in San Diego.
Learn more about Â鶹ֱ²¥ Awards
Nominate someone for an award. The deadline for service award nominations is September 11, 2020. The deadline for book award nominations September 18, 2020.