Trudy Nicholson

Special Service Award Recipient, 2014

Trudy Nicholson received the Special Service Award in 2014 for her long-term dedication to the Guild through efforts of volunteerism, service, teaching, mentoring, or other ongoing and substantial support of the organization. Trudy provided long-term dedicated service to the business side of the organization by holding executive board positions and serving for many years as an editor for the GNSI Newsletter. She also contributed to and helped edit The Guild Handbook of Scientific Illustration. Her conference logos for the 1986 and 1996 GNSI conferences are additional examples of her continuous support and obvious love for GNSI projects and events throughout the decades. She is greatly admired by those who don’t know her and greatly loved by those who do.

Trudy has taught countless workshops and mentored many artists. One member recalls, “Trudy always treats people as intelligent and talented, and she takes everyone seriously. She has the ability to make everyone feel valued. Treating everyone equally, whether they are accomplished artists, beginning illustrators or those who are simply interested in scientific illustration, exemplifies the true spirit of the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and she personifies this spirit perfectly.”

Trudy became a GNSI member in 1969 after visiting one of the Guild's very first public exhibits.

Award presented by President Scott Rawlins