JEREMIAH LUDINGTON MEMORIAL AWARD
In 1975, Jeremiah Ludington, owner of Ludington News Company in Detroit, Michigan, founded the
Educational Paperback Association, now known as the Educational Book and Media Association. To honor his dedication and commitment to the educational paperback market, the EPA in 1979 established the Jeremiah Ludington Memorial Award.
The Ludington award is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the educational paperback business, and is the EBMA version of a "Lifetime Achievement Award." Recipients receive a framed certificate and EBMA presents a $2,500 check to the charity of their choice. Past winners of the award have included illustrators, authors, educators, and librarians such as John Scieszka, Lois Lowry, Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume.
34th ANNUAL WINNER
Congratulations to the 34th Annual (2012) Ludington Award winner, Russell Freedman. Formerly a journalist and a veteran of the Korean War who served with the Second Infantry Division, Russell Freedman is the award-winning author of 47 books. Some of these have been translated into a diverse number of languages, including Japanese, Korean, German, Spanish, Flemish, Arabic, and Bengali.
Freedman does extensive research when writing his nonfiction books. This research involves visits to libraries, museums, historical societies, and monuments all over the country. He is not satisfied until he thoroughly understands his topic and feels that no book is ready for publication until at least the fourth draft. Freedman notes that he doesn’t write a book, he rewrites it.
His topics focus on historical eras and people, animal lives and behaviors, and other topics. His books have earned him literary acclaim from many organizations, and in 1988 he was awarded the Newbery Medal for Lincoln: A Photobiography, the first nonfiction book to win the award since 1956. His other awards and recognitions include several Newbery Honors, the Sibert Medal, the Orbis Pictus Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture Award, and a National Humanities Medal.
The EBMA board and membership are thrilled to present this year's Ludington Award to Russell Freedman,” said Gene Bahlman, EBMA President and Vice President of Follett Library Resources, Inc. “His contributions to children’s nonfiction literature spanning over 50 years is unmatched and truly impressive.”
For more information about the Ludington Award read EBMA’s Ludington Award Press Release.
PAST RECEIPENTS OF THE LUDINGTON AWARD:
