The Caucus for Producers, Writers & Directors is proud to honor Prof. Hildreth “Hal” Walker and Dr. Bettye Walker with The Caucus Humanitarian Award at the 13th Annual American Spirit Awards ceremony and Luncheon. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at the Taglyan Complex, 1201 Vine St, LA 90038. The reception begins at 11:45 AM, followed by luncheon and program at 12:30 PM.
Receiving the Humanitarian Award are Professor Hildreth (Hal) Walker and Dr. Bettye Walker presented by the Caucus’ James Hirsch. Hal Walker is the man that fired the Laser to the moon successfully during the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Dr. Bettye Walker is a pioneer of STEM education and outreach. Having served as a university professor and school principal, she launched the A-MAN, Inc. STEM Center in Los Angeles for Inner City Youth. Hal and Bettye also initiated STEM in South Africa at the request of President Nelson Mandela 1997.
Other honorees include;
Larry King, the iconic Peabody- and Emmy-Award-winning broadcaster, is this year’s American Spirit Award recipient which will be presented by The Caucus’ Event Chair, Gary Smith. After retiring from CNN in 2010 he created Ora TV, his digital network and production studio.
Henry Winkler, whose stellar career has earned him this year’s Caucus Legend Award presented will be presented by The Caucus’ Vin Di Bona. Winkler has enjoyed over four decades of outstanding success in Hollywood and continues to be in demand as an actor, producer and director. He currently co-stars in the HBO dark comedy, “Barry,” for which he won an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy. Henry is famously known as Arthur Fonzarelli in the series “Happy Days.”
The Caucus Distinguished Veteran Award goes to Chase Millsap, a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Army Special Forces, filmmaker, and Chief Content Officer at We are the Mighty, a military and veteran focused media company. The award will be presented by Norman Powell.
The Caucus Special Achievement in Educating New Filmmakers will be given to Cristina Kotz Cornejo, Professor and Associate Chair of Production in the Department of Visual and Media Arts at Emerson College, Boston. The award will be presented by The Caucus’ Sharon Arnett.
The Caucus Co-Chairs Robert Papazian and Tanya Hart, along with Chuck Fries, Chair of Caucus Events, Gary Smith, American Spirit Awards Chair, Vice Chairs, Sharon Arnett, James Hirsch and Vin Di Bona and Executive Director Deborah Leoni, are proud to recognize these deserving individuals and their service to others.
The American Spirit Awards were created by The Caucus in 2004, during Vin Di Bona’s Chair term, to recognize individuals who support, protect and promote the work of creative story tellers—the producers, writers and directors of television, film and new media whose work may be America’s most powerful export.
