Chapter Awards
The Chicago Chapter recognizes outstanding achievement by means of two awards.
The Joseph B. Finnegan Award:
Named in honor of the long- time head of the fire protection engineering curriculum at Armour Institute and Illinois Institute of Technology, is presented to a person in the Chicago metropolitan area in recognition of outstanding contributions or long devoted service to the field of fire protection engineering.
The Lew Freeman Service Award:
Named after one of the Chapter founding members, is presented to a member who has rendered long and extraordinary service to the Chapter.
Year |
Finnegan Award Winners |
Freeman Award Winners |
| 2025 | Tom Miller | Concepcion Sanchez |
| 2024 | Nick Ozog | Carl Baldassarra |
| 2023 | Marty Pabich | Kelly Opert |
| 2022 | David de Vries | Keith Enstrom |
| 2021 | Kim Mniszewski | Aaron Hinkle |
| 2020 | Mike Aaron | Matt Humbrecht |
| 2019 | Gayle Pennel | Dan Fritz |
| 2018 | Daniel O'Connor | William Sedlak |
| 2017 | John Jablonski | Bob Nielson |
| 2016 | Jim Regan | Nicholas Ozog |
| 2015 | William Stelter | Ed Prendergast |
| 2014 | Jeff Harper | Brian Denk |
| 2013 | Robert Pikula | Robert Pikula |
| 2012 | Bert Cohn | DeAndrea Cooley |
| 2011 | Paul Hart | Jessica Hubert-Dahl |
| 2010 | Jim Beyreis | Marty Pabich |
| 2009 | Carl Baldassarra | Jim Lemanski |
| 2008 | Kerry Bell | Terrance Pintar |
| 2007 | George Laverick | Bert Cohn |
| 2006 | Brian Denk | Dennis Banschbach |
| 2005 | Joseph Talbert | Tom Fangmann |
| 2004 | Bernie Bischoff | Anne Guglielmo |
| 2003 | Tom Gray | Paul Hart |
| 2002 | Roger Bassett | Scott Grieb |
| 2001 | David Nugent | Bill Siebenaler |
| 2000 | James Connolly | Jeff Harper |
| 1999 | Walter Damon | Kim Mnizewski and Scott Howell |
| 1998 | Todd Schumann | George Laverick |
| 1997 | Bill Thomas | George Krabbe |
| 1996 | Edward Leedy | William Stelter |
| 1995 | William Carey | Joseph Talbert |
| 1994 | David Grupp | James Hurst and James Gallup |
| 1993 | Richard Solomon | Glenn Evenson |
| 1992 | William Christian | Richard Osman and Tom Miller |
| 1991 | Tom Castino | Richard Solomon |
| 1990 | Edward Prendergast | Daniel O’Connor |
| 1989 | Manuel DeLerno | Tom Lyon |
| 1988 | Roland Spencer | Raymond Wiegand |
| 1987 | Richard Osman | Albert Smith |
| 1986 | Carl Olson | Roland Bellman |
| 1985 | Albert Arnold | Gerald O’Rourke |
| 1984 | Dean Johnson | Carl Olson |
| 1983 | Boyd Hartley | Ronald Schneider |
| 1982 | Walter Swingler | Randy Tucker |
| 1981 | Tom Lyon | Robert Duke |
| 1980 | Jack Bono | James Nolan |
| 1979 | Rolf Jensen | Charles Shukes |
| 1978 | Robert Duke | Howard Smith |
| 1977 | Willis Labes | Lewis Freeman |
| 1976 | John Ahern | |
| 1975 | James Nolan | |
| 1974 | Chester Schirmer | |
| 1973 | Gerald Maatman | |
| 1972 | Louis Thoelecke | |
| 1971 | Charles Shukes | |
| 1970 | Edwin Searl | |
| 1969 | Robert Schirmer | |
| 1968 | Baron Whitaker | |
| 1967 | Abel Gent | |
| 1966 | Chester Hauth | |
| 1965 | Albert Steiner | |
| 1964 | Dale Auck | |
| 1962 | Elmer Reske |
