GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The Florida Museum of Natural History recently recognized Gary Lipowski and Karen Allman as winners of the 2020 James Pope Cheney Volunteer of the Year Award.

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Gary Lipowski was named Florida Museum 2020 Volunteer of the Year for Research and Collections. ©Photo courtesy of Gary Lipowski

The award is presented annually to distinguished museum volunteers who show outstanding interest in museum collections, effort toward the educational advancement of children and enthusiastic support for the museum and volunteer communities.

Lipowski was recognized for his contributions to the moth and butterfly wing voucher program, while Allman was recognized for her work with education and outreach.

Lipowski joined the museum in 2015 and has volunteered more than 800 hours. Serving in the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity’s Kawahara Lab, he has created over 2,000 wing vouchers during the last five years. This delicate process involves carefully processing wing specimens for molecular research. Lipowski has filled eight binders’ worth of samples.

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Karen Allman was named Florida Museum 2020 Volunteer of the Year for Exhibits and Public Programs. ©Kristen Grace/Florida Museum

Allman has volunteered more than 400 hours since joining the museum in 2017. She primarily helps as a docent for school programs, but has also assisted in a variety of other positions, including guiding group tours, leading Discovery Cart activities, interpreting exhibits and conducting outreach programs.

“Karen and Gary are the epitome of selfless volunteers. They are always willing to take on tasks others might shy away from and do them while maintaining their good humor and kindness,” said Florida Museum Volunteer Coordinator Amy Hester. “While we have always appreciated our volunteers at the Florida Museum, this forced six-month hiatus from them has really illustrated how much we need them to carry out our mission.”

The volunteer award is named in honor of James Pope Cheney, who served as a Florida Museum docent for 14 years before his death in 2004.

In 2019, more than 500 adult volunteers contributed over 31,000 hours to the museum.

For more information on museum volunteer opportunities, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/volunteers.

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Writer: Nikhil Srinivasan, 352-273-2034, nsrinivasan@floridamuseum.ufl.edu
Source: Amy Hester, ahester@floridamuseum.ufl.edu