ACA International Announces 2002 Award Winners

The following award winners were announced during the 63rd Annual Convention and Exposition of ACA International, the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals. Nearly 1,000 industry professionals and vendors representing 20 countries attended the four-day event held at Disney?s Yacht & Beach Club Resorts in Orlando, Fla.

The highest honor offered by ACA International is the Member of the Year Award, formerly known as the Paul Bunyan Award. This prestigious award is presented to individuals who, during the past year, are judged to have made the greatest contribution to the association and the credit and collection industry. This year?s recipients include Benedict Wong, Hong Kong; Leslie Bender, Timonium, Md.; and Pauline Kussart, Madison, Wis.

The ACA International Continuous Service Award is presented to an ACA member who has served the collection industry and the association at the national level for at least ten consecutive years through positions of leadership. This year?s recipient is Jon Dunn, Morrow, Ga., who has served on various ACA committees and boards since 1989.

Michael Klutho, Minneapolis, Minn., was awarded the ACA Foundation Fellow Award. This award is presented to a member or unit judged to have made the most significant contribution during the past year in support of the ACA Foundation, a non-profit, public educational foundation dedicated to increasing financial literacy in the United States and supporting research, job training and educational programs in related areas.

Ron Brown, Oklahoma City, Okla., was the recipient of the Charles F. Lindemann Award. This award is presented to the ACA Certified Instructor who most closely reflects the attributes of an outstanding educator. In order to receive the award, recipients must receive outstanding evaluations from students, perform in a manner above the call of duty, make significant contributions to the ACA International Education Department?s developmental efforts and have no complaints registered against him or her.

The Honorary Life Membership honor is presented to ACA members who are no longer active in the credit and collection industry, but have still made noteworthy achievements in, contributions to and furtherance of ACA International and the credit and collection industry. This year?s recipients are Basil J. Mezines, Washington D.C. and James D. Henry, St. Charles, Mo.

James Marshall, Vienna, Va., was awarded the Society of Certified Credit and Collection Professionals Outstanding Fellow Award. This award honors an individual who has shown superior work in the field of credit, promotes the highest professional standards and plays an active role within the association.

The Fred Kirschner Instructor Achievement Award is presented to ACA Certified Instructors who have reached milestones in their volunteer teaching careers with ACA. Recognized for their dedication in providing knowledge and willingness to share experiences they have gained from their years in the industry are Cathlyn Barnett, Shawnee, Kan.; Glenn Bathalter, Cincinnati, Ohio; and Ron Brown, Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Gold Beacon Award is presented to ACA members who have worked to encourage and promote ACA legislative programs and initiatives throughout the year. This year?s Gold Beacon recipients include Luke Gruber, Waterloo, Iowa; C. Earl Maddux Jr., Cookeville, Tenn.; John Rockhill, Vero Beach, Fla.; and Gary Williams, Rock Hill, S.C.

ACA International, formerly known as the American Collectors Association Inc., is the association of credit and collection professionals. Founded in 1939, ACA International has approximately 5,300 members, including third-party collection agencies, attorneys, credit grantors and vendor affiliates. Headquartered in Minneapolis, ACA International serves members in the United States, Canada and 58 other countries worldwide. For more information visit our new Web site at