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TANK OF FAME LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS
Something special happened at our last meeting. The society decided to do give a special award to the club founders who have been active since the society's very beginning in 2007. 18 years! So far! We awarded "TANK OF FAME LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT" awards to the following people:

1. Michael Gaines (sumpnfishy) is a former president of the Heart of America Aquarium Society in Kansas City. He relocated to Northwest Arkansas in June of 2007, and couldn’t stand the thought of being without an aquarium club, so he found some like-minded people to help start one here, in Northwest Arkansas. He served as our club’s first president, and many terms after. Michael mostly keeps oddball cichlids, wild-type livebearers, and killifish. He has also served on the board of directors of the American Livebearer Association. Over the years, Michael has given many excellent programs to the club, on all types of fishes, led most club native fish collecting trips, and has been our auctioneer extraordinaire. Thanks, Michael!

2. Denny Rogers (dennysfishroom)has been keeping fish since 1954, longer than most of us have been alive. He has kept many different varieties, but always seems to come back to East and West African cichlids. His main interest is in breeding fish. No newcomer to aquarium clubs, Denny was a member of the Madison, Wisconsin, aquarium club in the late 1960s, and was a founding member of the Great Plains Aquarium Society in the early 1970s—where he served as its first president. He has served as past president to our own club, and provided us with many fine programs. Thanks, Denny!

3. Gail Rogers, Denny's wife, is not a crazy fish geek like the rest of us. But she has attended most meetings over the years, and helped out at most club auctions. She very much enjoys the friends she has made here over the years, and we very much appreciate her. Gail is also famous for her home-baked cookies. Thank you, Gail!

4. Corey Mohrhauser (sskruzr) has been a hobbyist since 1966, and managed the Pet Corner pet shop in Sioux City, Iowa, from 1982 to 1994. He has been an angelfish breeder, off and on, since 1985—even supplying clean angels to a local wholesaler back during the "angelfish AIDS" epidemic of the 1980s. Until recently, Corey has maintained about 800 gallons of aquariums, especially enjoying the breeding of his angelfish and rams. He is retiring now, and looking to travel full time, so is shutting down his fish room after a lifetime of fish-keeping. Corey has repaired, or built from scratch, over 1000 aquariums, and helped out many club members who had leaky tanks. Corey was also our Auction Chairman since the very beginning, until just this year. Thanks, Corey!

These are all people who helped build this club from scratch, and who helped keep it running over the years. They put in a lot of hard work, and we've all been glad to benefit from their efforts, and count them as friends. The Northwest Arkansas Aquarium Society and its members love you guys! Thanks, again!

Thanks, also, to fellow board members, Matt Freeman (Nyatic) and Ashley Lester (ladyluck), who built some AWESOME and UNIQUE 3D-printed trophies, shaped like an Asian arowana in an old stainless steel aquarium. They are super cool, and way better than anything we could have bought off a shelf. Thanks, you two, for designing and building these special awards!
Corey Mohrhauser's was unable to attend the ceremony, so no photo is available.