On behalf of the AAVSO Council, I wish to publically thank Richard Berry for all he has done for amateur astronomy in general, and digital variable star observing in particular. His receiving the AAVSO Merit Award recently at the Woburn meeting is richly deserved. I was fortunate to have been able to congratulate him in person, but his achievements certainly deserve another acknowledgment. I tip my hat to you sir!
To see an image of the certificate, follow this link:
https://www.aavso.org/sites/default/files/images/awards-merit-berry.jpg
On behalf of the AAVSO Council, it is also my pleasure to extend a heartfelt thanks to Ed Guinan for his years of service to our community, both as a scientist and AAVSO member and council member. It should surprise no one that he was the recent recipient of the Olcott Distinguished Service Award.
A copy of the full citation can be found at
https://www.aavso.org/sites/default/files/images/awards-olcott-guinan.pdf
While Ed could not join us at the meeting in person, we all raised a glass in his honor. I look forward to shaking his hand in congratulations at a future meeting.