RIIIIIGGGHHHTTT!!! :) :) :)

Respectfully,
Henry

Actually the winner is chosen from the nomination packets that are submitted and reviewed.  In most cases no one on the subcommittee knows the nominees.  We use a very detailed checklist to make sure that we evaluate each nominee in accordance with the "rules" for submission of the person's  name in nomination. 

Of course, this does not necessarily mean that the winner is really the greatest CWI in the country this year, just that his / her nomination packet was the best.   The selection checklist is quite comprehensive, and is used to eliminate the possibility of undue influence or personal preference affecting the choice of the members of the Subcommittee.  This year there were just three submissions, one of which was almost pure trash, which left it as a contest between just two packets.  Some years, we have many more submissions.  It takes a lot of work to put together a good nomination packet, and I think some otherwise worthy nominees do not have any chance of ever getting the award, because the person assembling the packet is lazy or does not read the rules for the award. 

We want to give the award to a person who is primarily a visual welding inspector, or an overall visual / NDT inspector or even a visual / NDT inspector who is actually a supervisor of CWIs, and who still performs visual hands-on inspection.  Some of the nomination packets emphasize what a great guy the nominee is.  Fine,- put him in for some "Great Guy" award.  Other packets laud the nominees NDT accomplishments or his training activities.  Fine put him in for an "Educators" award or for some ASNT award.  One nominee was a Harvard Lawyer, who was a great contract administrator,  and actually had a CWI----Wow!  A lot of packets emphasize the nominees Engineering or welding problem solving activity.  Again-  some other award!

There will eventually be a write-up in the Welding Journal about Mr.Wright.

Personally I hope that some members of the Forum will nominate themselves, or have someone who personally knows them to submit a nomination.  I personally know of the activities of two Forum Members, who I think are worthy candidates, and I have suggested that their superiors nominate them.  Nothing has been done for these two, and I cannot do any more.  Now, neither of these two are involved at the AWS Section level, or on National Committees, so even if they were submitted, they would have to have a superior submittal packet to win the nomination.  If those two would submit their own names in nomination, they would still have to have superior nomination packets, but they would have a good chance of winning the nomination if there were only a few submissions like there were this year.

Next year, I think we will have a really worthy submission for a member of the AWS Qualification Committee!  

Joe Kane