Lyman T. Johnson Award Winners

In concert with the School of Library and Information Studies, the UK Libraries recognized two outstanding individuals with the Lyman T. Johnson Awards at a dinner held on Friday, October 17th. Information about our two honorees follows:

Donald W. Lyons, Sr. – “Torch of Excellence Award”
Donald W. Lyons, Sr. a Lexington native, received his M.S.L.S. from the University of Kentucky in 1971. He is the third African American to graduate from the UK School of Library and Information Studies. Lyons earned his undergraduate degree in history and political science from Kentucky State University (KSU), and his first library employment was at KSU in 1971 when he became a library assistant in the Blazer Library. In 1976, Lyons was named director of the library and remained in that post until 1989, when he became Athletic Director at KSU. Lyons was also an instructor and he supervised first year teacher interns employed in various public school systems in Kentucky. He advanced to the rank of professor prior to his retirement in 1999, and currently holds the rank of Professor Emeritus. He is a Trustee and Treasurer of the KSU Foundation, overseeing the day-to-day operations, and serving as Executive Secretary. Donald W. Lyons, Sr. is the husband of Myra L. Briggs Lyons. He is the father of Donald, Jr. and Reginald Lyons, and the grandfather of Ahmad and a new grandbaby named Destiny.

Faith Steele – “Torch Bearer Award”
Faith Steele, a Lexington native, is a graduate student in the University of Kentucky School of Library and Information Studies. She has elicited favorable feedback from the faculty with positive contributions to courses and helped to make the coursework beneficial and more valuable. She has also shown leadership skills during her time in the program, such as helping to coordinate several fundraisers so that three of her fellow students could attend the 2008 American Library Association Conference. She was recently elected President of the student chapter of the American Library Association, and is the new Chair of the African American Librarians and Library Employees Roundtable, a division of the Kentucky Library Association. She is an avid recruiter and has volunteered her time to attend the library school’s recruitment events. She has also provided suggestions of other recruiting avenues the library school might explore as they look to increase diversity in their student population. Steele, who earned her undergraduate degree from the UK College of Human and Environmental Sciences, is presently a library assistant at the Lexington Public Library and a graduate assistant at the University of Kentucky Medical Center Library.

Congratulations to these award recipients!