They don’t do it for any kind of recognition, but the city of East Lansing decided to recognize some of the “unsung heroes” who contribute to enhancing the way of life in East Lansing at the 24th annual Crystal Awards, Thursday evening.
This year, the Crystal Award Selection Committee selected four winners from a group of 32 individuals, organizations and businesses. The 32 candidates were nominated by members of the community and winning the awards were Marsha Bristor, Dr. Dale Bartlett, the Summer Circle Theatre and the Eric ‘RicStar’ Winter Music Therapy Camp.
“The entries were phenomenal,” said William Sawyer-Todd, the Crystal Award Selection Committee chairperson. “Some of these people have worked themselves silly for years and they deserve this.”
Bristor came to MSU 30 years ago as a student, fell in love with East Lansing, and has stayed ever since. For the last 13 years, she has spent 30 hours a week volunteering her time at the East Lansing Public Library and has helped the library’s shop earn about $50,000 a year.
“Marsha is an extraordinary friend to the library,” East Lansing Mayor Pro Tem Nathan Triplett said during his speech. “She has gone above and beyond to do so many special, little things for the members of the staff and the library volunteers.”
Dick and Judy Winter created The Eric ‘RicStar’ Winter Music Therapy Camp in 2003 in honor of their son who was born with cerebral palsy to honor his love for music. The camp is a part of the Community Music School Music Therapy Clinical Services Program under the MSU College of Music, and has grown from less than 50 campers when it began to more than 100 campers this year.
The Summer Circle Theatre was awarded a Crystal Award after 52 years of performing more than 200 free plays to members of the East Lansing area, and is funded by the MSU Office of the Provost, The College of Arts and Letters and the community group, Friends of Theatre at MSU, has helped raise more than $10,000 a year for the theatre.
Former Crystal Award winner Alan Suits helped found Friends of Theatre to help raise money to purchase costumes and other needs for the theatre.
“It’s a free concert on the banks of the Red Cedar,” Suits said. “It gives students a chance to act in a fun atmosphere.”
The final winner of the Crystal Awards was Dr. Dale Bartlett, a former MSU student and former faculty member of the MSU College of Music. For the last 30 years, Bartlett has been a conductor for the Arts Chorale of Greater Lansing and also has endowed two scholarships in choral conducting and for the french horn.
“First of all, (winning the award is) very humbling, and there (are) so many people who deserves this,” Bartlett said. “But, it’s appreciated to see people appreciate what you do.”
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