The Tennessee Environmental Education Association presented its 2009 Distinguished Service Award to George Bartnik, the Tennessee Aquarium's education programs manager.

For decades, and through many environmental education venues, Mr. Bartnik has taught children and adults about the environment, according to aquarium officials.

Besides his contributions at the Tennessee Aquarium, Mr. Bartnik has served TEEA as president, treasurer and newsletter editor.

Pierce elected Kiwanis officer

Rickie Pierce, former president of the Kiwanis Club of Chattanooga, has been named lieutenant governor of Division 3 of Kiwanis Club International.

Mrs. Pierce will oversee clubs in this area as well as Dade County, Ga., and Copperhill, Tenn. She will represent the division at Kentucky-Tennessee meetings as well as international Kiwanis convention.

Mrs. Pierce has been associate head of Girls Preparatory School for 28 years and is principal of the upper school.

She serves on the boards of Partnership for Families, Children and Adults, Chattanooga-Hamilton County Bicentennial Library, Women's Leadership Institute and Stadium Board.

Dowdy retires from Army

Sgt. 1st Class Darius L. Dowdy has retired from the U.S. Army after 20 years of service.

The son of James Dowdy Jr. and Edna Louise Dowdy is a graduate of Brainerd High School. He received a bachelor's degree from Wayland Baptist University in Texas.

After entering the Army in 1989, he completed Advanced Individual Training as a medical laboratory specialist. His first assignment in 1990 was the 5th General Hospital in Stuttgart, Germany, where he was a lab technician in a health clinic.

In 1991, he was assigned to 1st Cavalry Division and then Darnall Army Medical Center at Fort Hood, Texas. Five years later he was assigned to the 121st General Hospital in Seoul, Korea, before becoming Laboratory Noncommissioned Officer in Charge at Denver Military Entrance Processing Station in 1998.

He has served at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and Fort Meade, Md.

In 2007, he was assigned as NCOIC of the Department of Pathology and Area Laboratory Services at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was stationed upon retirement.

He and wife Natalie have two sons.

Toastmasters names winners

Fifteen Toastmaster members competed in the Area 30, 31 and 32 combined Humorous Speech and Evaluation contests, held at Unum recently.

Area 30 winners: Humorous Speech, Jason Hill of the Hixson Toastmasters; Evaluation, Gayle Mingledorf of the Monday Mumblers.

Area 31 winners: Humorous Speech, Neil Kjos of the Chatter Masters; Evaluation, Daniel Hostetler of the Unum Toastmasters.

Area 32 winners: Humorous Speech, Suzanne McDowell of the BlueCross BlueShield Hilltoppers; Evaluation, Joyce Hall of the BCBST Hilltoppers.

Those winners attended the Division C Contest, also held at Unum.

Gayle Mingledorff took first in the Evaluation contest, and Neil Kjos won the Humorous Contest. They are competing in the District 63 contest today in Nashville.

Siskin researchers speak at meeting

Three researchers from Siskin Children's Institute are presenting their studies and findings this weekend at the 25th annual International Conference on Young Children with Special Needs and their Families in Albuquerque, N.M.

Sponsored by the Council for Exceptional Children's Division for Early Childhood, its purpose is to promote policies and advance evidence-based practices to support development of young children with special needs.

Researchers representing Siskin and their topics are Dr. Tom Buggey, using video self-modeling with preschoolers with autism; Dr. Amy Casey, feedback to teachers; and Dr. Robin McWilliam, improving IFSP quality.

Drs. Casey and McWilliam are presenting with a UTC colleague a session on zone defense scheduling.

Tucker leading Murfreesboro school system

Former Chattanoogan Dr. Carolyn Baldwin Tucker has been named interim director of Murfreesboro, Tenn., City Schools.

Dr. Tucker is a 1965 graduate of Howard High School and has 40 years experience in education, including 22 years as a principal and three as Director of Elementary Schools in Nashville.

For 10 years she was a visiting professor at Lipscomb University, serving two of those as Director of Graduate Studies in Education.

Dr. Tucker worked three years for the Tennessee Department of Education as an exemplary educator assigned to Chattanooga, where she assisted schools on the No Child Left Behind high priority list.