Accolades

July in England
  Kimberly Lang, daughter of Dawn Lang and granddaughter of Blanche and Eero Ruuspakka, has been accepted in the Bridge-at Oxford Program for Political Science majors, to be held at Wadham College, Oxford, England, the month of July. Kimberly, currently a sophomore at Binghamton University, was one of the 2002 recipients of the Finger Lakes Finns’ Annual Scholarship. [May 2004 Finger Lakes Finns newsletter]

Prize Winner
  The weekend of August 15 -17 [2003], Leona House, the editor of this newsletter, attended the International Society of Poets Convention in Washington, D.C. at the Washington Hilton Towers Hotel. This convention is held every year and is widely attended. This year there were three thousand poets from around the globe attending.
  Leona read a poem entitled “My Dragonfly and Me” before judges and a group of 40 or 50 peers.
  Sunday morning the awards ceremony was held in the Grand Ball Room. Winners’ names were called and they were asked to come to the stage, where they were presented with their prizes. They then were seated on the stage according to the various levels of the prizes. These were valued at $20,000 for first prize, $10,000 for second, and $5000 for third. Also, one winner received a cruise as a prize.
  Leona was chosen as the winner to receive a book publishing contract valued at $1000. She tells us, “I am honored to receive this award. Look for my book soon in early 2004.”
  Some of Leona’s poems have appeared from time to time in the “Poet’s Corner” of this publication. In addition, she has read some of her poetry at Juhannus and Pikku Joulu.
  Leona, we are so proud!

Award Given
  President Rüütel, the Republic of Estonia, recently presented FLF member Retired Colonel William Mackie of Potomac Falls, Virginia, with a Third Class Order of the Cross of the Eagle for Mackie’s work as the United States’ first Defence Attaché to Estonia and Advisor to the Commander of Estonia’s Defense Forces while he was the United States’ Defense Attache` to Finland. The award was made on the occasion of the 85th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.
Honors for Krystle Lang
  This Spring, a very proud mother, Dawn Lang of Vestal, NY, along very proud grandparents, Blanche and Eero Ruuspakka of Newfield, attended the induction ceremonies for Krystle Lang, into the Golden Key International Honor Society. This recognition honors her outstanding academic achievement, representing the top 15 percent of her junior class at the University of Rhode Island. Krystle was also inducted into the Beta Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the highest academic honor a college undergraduate can receive in the United States.
  This Fall Krystle was also inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
  Krystle is currently a senior at the University of Rhode Island majoring in Biology.
News of last year’s Finger Lakes Finns Scholarship winner
   Krystle’s sister Kimberly Lang, was named to the Dean’s List at SUNY Binghamton University this past semester. Kimberly is currently a sophomore majoring in Political Science with a concentration in International Dependencies. In June she became a NYS certified EMT and serves on the University’s Harper’s Ferry EMS Squad as well the Vestal EMS.

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