hosted by the National Soaring Museum
The Joseph C. Lincoln Memorial Award was established by Harris Hill Soaring Corporation, Elmira, NY in memory of Joseph C. Lincoln. whose writings about soaring did so much to get
people started in the sport of soaring. His books, "Soaring for Diamonds”, “On Quiet Wings,” and "Soaring on the Wind”, as well as the many articles he wrote, are the inspiration for this award.
Joe was a major supporter of the National Soaring Museum (NSM) and soaring in general. His generous contributions to the NSM during the 1970’s made it possible to hire a Director and start construction of a new building. He also donated two sailplanes to NSM. a Schweizer SGS 2-32 and an SGS 1-23.
The Harris Hill Soaring Corporation (HHSC), in conjunction with the NSM, decided to set up the “Lincoln Award” when Joe passed away in May of 1975. Mrs. Dorothy Lincoln-Smith, Joe’s wife, was on hand to help in the awarding of the first “Lincoln Award” to Jim George for his article “Two Final Glides.” The award consists of a crystal glass cube with a flying eagle engraved on it, a 100 dollar stipend. and the honor bestowed on the author.
The criteria used to select the winning writing are:
1. Must be interesting.
2. Should be in the style of Joe Lincoln's writing.
3. Should encourage the reader to join in the sport of soaring.
4. Must be published in the English language.
Books, poems, magazine articles, newsletter articles, and other media such as DVDs, may be submitted. They must have been published between July 1 of the previous two years through June 30 of the year of the award. Entries should be presented to the awards committee by October 1st of the year of the award. Names of the recipients of the award will be announced at the annual Snowbird Contest Banquet at Harris Hill in November. The actual award will be presented at the SSA Convention when possible. Some of these works may be available through the National Soaring Museum's collections.
Year Award Recipient Title 1975 Jim George "Two Long Final Glides" 1976 Gren Seibels "A Gaggle of One" - Book 1977 John Joss "Sierra Sierra" - Book 1978 (no record) (no record) 1979 Robert Gray "Down and Out" 1980 Geraldine Silveira "Motel 1-26" 1981 Don Santee "Soaring Colorado Plateau" 1982 Robert Gannon "P.S. Editor Helps Set World Record" 1983 David Harris "An Ordinary Day at the Field" 1984 Gren Seibels "After All" - Book 1985 Christopher Woods "Quiet Challenge" - Movie Script 1986 Roy McMaster "Four on the Floor" 1986 Karl Striedieck "Four on the Floor" 1986 John Seymour "Four on the Floor" 1986 Robby Robertson "Four on the Floor" 1987 Doug Jacobs "Benediction" 1988 Paul A. Schweizer "Wings Like Eagles" - Book 1989 Jack Green "Sunshine and Shadows of Soaring" 1990 Charlie Spratt "Sailplane Racing News" 1991 Sergio Colacevich "Infinite Flight" 1992 (no record) (no record) 1993 Billy Hill "Team Flying and Low Time Race Pilots" 1994 Scott Jenkins "On Winter's Trail" 1995 Pat Valdata "Just Like A Hawk" 1996 Paddy Welles "Gramma Learns to Fly" 1997 Burt Whelan "Cloud Dancing" - Book 1998 Sanjay Acharaya "Soaring Ashram in the Estrellas" 1999 Paddy Welles "As Good as it Gets" 2000 - Silver Anniversary Michael Bird "Platypus Papers" - Book 2001 Gary Fogel "Wind and Wings" - Book 2002 William E. Gallagher "The Colditz Cock and the Great Escape Scenario." - NSM Journal Article Starting in 2003, The Lincoln Award will be presented biennually. 2003 Wallace A. Scott "The Preparation and Execution of Long Distance Flights" 2005 Juan Mandelbaum "A Fine Week of Soaring" - DVD 2007 Dale Masters "Soaring Beyond Basics" - Book 2009 John Good “World Gliding Competition” Lusse, Germany, Feature Article 2011 2013