Scott House and Mick Sutton awarded NSS Lew Bicking Award
At the 2016 NSS Convention in Ely, Nevada, two giants of the Missouri caving community, Scott House and Mick Sutton were awarded the National Speleological Society's Lew Bicking Award. The Bicking is a true cavers award and is one of the highest honors a caver can receive. The award is given in recognition of their immeasurable contributions to Missouri speleology for four decades, through the exploration and survey of many hundreds of Missouri caves in addition to orchestrating highly productive and mutually beneficial, cooperative relationships between government agencies in the Ozarks and the regional project caving community via the Cave Research Foundation, Ozarks Operations.
From the NSS Website: The Lew Bicking Award has been established to recognize a dedication to the thorough exploration and mapping of a cave or a group of caves. The award may be given to an individual, or to a pair of cavers who, through specific joint actions, qualify equally for the award based on the exploration they have done together. One such award may be made each year. Names of candidates will be solicited from NSS members and Internal Organizations by the Awards Committee, and the recipient(s) will be approved by the Board of Governors upon recommendation of the Awards Committee. The recipient(s) must have been member(s) in good standing of the Society for at least two years immediately prior to his/her/their names being submitted as a candidate(s). The Awards Committee shall give preference to candidates who have not received the Outstanding Service Award or Honorary Membership. The name(s) of the recipient(s) shall be announced at the annual convention and the recipient(s) will receive an appropriate certificate signed by the President. The Chairman of the Awards Committee shall notify the recipients in writing of the award and shall enclose a check in the amount of the award.
Congratulations Mick and Scott!
Mick Sutton, Bill Steele and Scott House