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I want to thank you all for attending the annual meeting of the Nebraska Court Reporters Association. As you all know, every year NeCRA presents the Dale Theis Distinguished Service Award for excellence in court reporting, and the presentation of this year's award is particularly poignant as we gather here in Norfolk, so close to the location of Dale and Judge Eugene McFadden's tragic deaths in 1979. In honor of Dale's contribution and service to the reporting community, this award is presented each year in his name in recognition of individuals who have also shown outstanding commitment and participation in our field.

This year's recipient is JaVee Suhr. JaVee was always special. From the moment she left school and became a court reporter and business partner at the age of twenty-one (which in and of itself is remarkable enough), she always managed to distinguish herself and set the highest of personal and professional standards. JaVee was a brilliant thinker and communicator, and her thirst for knowledge and professional growth was exceptional.

In the early days of her career, she recognized how essential computers would be in the field and was determined to conquer the technology, hone her skills, and make sure that her company was on the cutting edge of court reporting and prepared for the future. No matter how much she practiced and grew and excelled, she always had time to share her knowledge with others.

JaVee was the true exemplar of excellence and achievement and rose to the top of our field. Not only was she a Registered Merit Reporter, she was a Certified Realtime Reporter as well. She was a participant and was widely known and respected in the legal community on the state and national level and also served on the board of our state association.

There are so many inspirational stories I have heard involving JaVee's love of life and her profession. Whether it was trying to report Australian accents or going toe to toe with tough-as-nails New York attorneys and staying cool, JaVee always managed to maintain her poise, her sense of humor, and her dedication to detail and excellence.

She always managed to practice her skills daily, and no job was too hard for her. In fact, she preferred to keep the more demanding assignments for herself rather than hand them off to another reporter. She cared about everything and everyone who crossed her path, whether it was organizing company picnics or sports events or just checking up on a colleague's well-being or weekend.

Pearl S. Buck has been quoted as saying, "The secret of joy in work is contained in one word -- excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it." JaVee was the embodiment of that quote, and her joy was evident every day, in all areas of her life. Whether it was the love of sports, animals, entertaining, or just being so proud of her family, JaVee taught everyone around her about excellence, elegance, and humor.

JaVee's legacy has been a great inspiration to all of us, and the care and pride she so clearly demonstrated in her work acts as a context and barometer for us all.

I am proud to have had a colleague like JaVee, and of course I am also greatly saddened that I could not bestow this honor on her personally. I am sure that we all agree that the world, and in particular our profession, is a better place for having been inspired by her contribution.

I would like to call upon Cianne, JaVee's daughter, Gary, JaVee's brother, and Sue Rohr, JaVee's sister, to accept this award in her honor and memory, and we thank you all for sharing JaVee and her myriad contributions with us.