Saturday was quite a day for The Times and me.

I was honored by receiving the James O. Amos Award at the National Newspaper Association’s (NNA) annual meeting held at the Arizona Grande Resort. It and the McKinney Award (for women) are the two most prestigious awards handed out by the NNA.

My good friend, Bob Sweeney, publisher of The Villager newspapers in the Denver area, presented the award to me.

I started writing my acceptance speech about three months ago, shortly after I was notified I would be receiving the award. I wanted it to be something special since the NNA and Arizona Newspapers Association (ANA) have been important to both me and this newspaper.

I never know from day to day how strong my voice will be. When I practiced the day before, I kept getting winded as I spoke out loud. I then thought, “Maybe a good night’s sleep would do the trick.”

No such luck. I was totally awake at 2 a.m. after getting to bed at 11 p.m.

I thought, “Now what am I going to do? My voice is always weak when I don’t get any sleep.”

I skipped the session before the luncheon to maybe get a little shut-eye and get a little practice in before I had to give my speech.

I dozed for maybe five minutes. Diane then worked with me on my speech.

“Louder,” she kept stressing, and “slow down. Say each word.”

It was good advice. My speech came off the way I wanted it.

That afternoon and evening, the staff went into the spotlight.

That’s when the NNA and ANA Better Newspaper Contest results were announced. Between the two contests, The Times won 21 awards, including three at the national level.

Congratulations to the staff on a job well done.

We don’t go just to receive awards, but it shows that The Times staff can create effective advertising and write quality stories with the best of them.

I’m extremely proud of all of you.

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Tonight, Sept. 18, is the tribute to Judy Starr Confer, the outgoing executive director of the L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum.

First, things will begin with a special dedication ceremony at 5:30 pm. at the museum’s orientation room, which will be renamed in her honor. Then the party will shift over to the Community Center. As co-founder of the museum, I will give a tribute to her, followed by a slide show. A large crowd is expected with nearly 140 reservations for the dinner.

The dinner deadline for reservations has passed. But you can still attend the dedication party at the orientation room. There is no charge.

Come on out!

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There was a good turnout for the memorial tribute to the late Dr. Clinton Pattea at the museum on Sunday afternoon.

The Fort McDowell tribal leader passed away July 5. He served on the boards of the Historical Society and the River of Time Museum Foundation.

Most of his family was on hand for the program Sunday.