Contact Information	Date
For Immediate Release Contact: John Campbell 434.220.9070	Sept. 25, 2012 VDOF 12059

Crown Award Bestowed Upon Virginia Tech Professor Emeritus

Dr. Jeffrey Kirwan, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech and resident of Blacksburg, has been awarded the Virginia Department of Forestry’s highest civilian honor – the Crown Award. The award was presented by VDOF’s Lisa Deaton at a meeting of the faculty of Virginia Tech’s College of Natural Resources.

VDOF established the Crown Award to recognize an individual or entity that has not only gone beyond the call of duty but has set a standard of excellence others can only admire. It is the highest honor the State Forester of Virginia can bestow, and Kirwan is only the fourth recipient of this award.

State Forester Carl Garrison said, “Jeff is no stranger to high praise for significant achievement. He has a sustained and long-term track record of success, and I’m proud to add to his legacy of excellence and unparalleled achievement.”

Kirwan pioneered the use of information technology to involve citizens of all ages in the care and appreciation of trees. He led a natural resources and environmental education program that reached more than 360,000 young people during a 12-year period. And he incorporated service learning into Virginia Tech courses long before the practice became commonplace.

“In addition to being an excellent teacher, Jeff served the public with distinction as a 4-H agent in Loudoun and Albemarle counties,” Garrison said. “We are proud to be able to recognize andthank Jeff for all he has done in service to the citizens of the Commonwealth.”

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The Virginia Department of Forestry protects and develops healthy, sustainable forest resources for Virginians. Headquartered in Charlottesville, the Agency has forestry staff members assigned to every county to provide citizen service and public safety protection across the Commonwealth. VDOF is an equal opportunity provider.

With nearly 16 million acres of forestland and more than 144,000 Virginians employed in forestry, forest products and related industries, Virginia forests provide more than $27.5 Billion annually in benefits to the Commonwealth.