The BBC is proud to honor Jonathan Center.
Jonathan joined the club as a young man in 1983 and became a board member in 2001. While on the board, he has worked hard and long for us. He has taken the minutes, both of club meetings and board meetings for many years, quietly, with no fuss and always right on topic. Those of us who have taken minutes when 5 people are talking at once know what a difficult job this is. He has been on the field trip subcommittee for many years. He has also mailed out trip leader packets for all our trip leaders, every trip, every season, year after year after year. Talk about a big job with very little dazzle! But wait – there's more! Jonathan was on both the 90th and the 100th celebration committees. Those of you who joined us for our 100th gala remember 100 door prizes – really great prizes. Well, all of that was due to Jonathan. Every single bit of it. He made calls, he made follow-up calls. Some of the donors needed half a dozen calls, but Jonathan persevered. And even more. During our club big year, any time a rarity showed up, Jonathan stepped up to run a trip if needed. He was always there, with the club's best interest at heart. And during all this time, he continues to lead his regular trips and inspire new birders, as he always has. All of these tasks he did and still does gently and graciously.
Jonathan has been a frequent traveler with Bill Drummond, who had this to say about Jonathan: “It's always a pleasure to run into Jonathan in the field, because he loves to share the birding experience with others. When you talk to Jonathan about birds, you see a person who is sharp, detail-oriented, and careful about identification. When he traveled with me, he's always been an asset to the group, as well as being a likable and often humurous traveling companion. I have enjoyed birding with Jonathan wherever our hobby takes us.”
For all these and other reasons, Jonathan is an amazing gift to the club and all of us. We're proud to know him and thrilled to be honoring him.
