NBFAA Weinstock and Jackson winners recognized

June 24, 2008, Nashville -- On Tuesday night, at the Country Music Hall of Fame, the NBFAA came together to recognize two of its best with the association's prestigious Sara E. Jackson and Morris F. Weinstock memorial awards.

The event was held inside the Ford Auditorium, an acoustically stunning auditorium inside the Country Music Hall of Fame, and featured not only the Jackson and Weinstock award presentations, but also the recognition of the 2008 Youth Scholarship award.

After recognizing Helen Gunning, wife of NBFAA President George Gunning, for her support of both George and the association's efforts, the NBFAA's Public Relations Chair Frank Burke took the stage to recognize the 2008 Youth Scholarship Award recipient. The annual award recognizes the child of a public safety professional (firefighter, police officer, EMT) with funds to be used for university scholarship. The selection is based upon not only an exceptional job in high school academics, but also upon the writing in an essay that is designed to recognize the value that their family member has as a community public safety professional.

After presenting the $10,000 check to the young man who is heading to the University of Alabama, the focus was on the Jackson and Weinstock presentations.

Greg Kessinger, 2007 Sara E. Jackson award winner, and Stewart Jackson, son of Sara Jackson, both took the stage to introduce the award and some of the background. With a slide show showing family pictures, starting with infant pictures and moving to present day, the winner was unveiled as Frank Burke, a member of the California Alarm Association. Burke is a former police officer who retired and now is an executive with Monrovia, Calif.-based USA Alarm Systems.

After a warm round of applause for Burke, the focus moved onto the Morris F. Weinstock award presentation. Chris Cage of Brink's, the 2007 Weinstock award winner, noted the significance of this, the most prestigious of the NBFAA's award. Cage noted that the award was first presented in 1970 and is named after a co-founder of the NBFAA. Following a slide show of pictures showing a timeline of his life, Scot Colby, a past president of the NBFAA and the Louisiana Burglar & Fire Alarm Association, was roundly recognized as the 2008 Morris F. Weinstock award presentation. Colby is with Bayou Security, based in Shreveport, Louisiana.

The Weinstock and Jackson awards were held as a side program to the 2008 Electronic Security Expo (ESX), being held in Nashville, Tenn., through this Friday.