Besides all the other worthwhile aspects of the 2009 State of Mark Twain
Studies Conference, I'd like to call everyone's attention to four richly
deserved recognitions that occurred during the conference:

--The Mark Twain Circle Certificate of Merit was presented to Shelley
Fisher Fishkin in honor of her immense scholarly contributions to Mark
Twain Studies, including (but not limited to) her authored books
"Lighting Out for the Territory" and "Was Huck Black?", her edited book
"A Historical Guide to Mark Twain," and most impressively of all (in my
opinion), the 29-volume Oxford Mark Twain.  Shelley is also a former
president of the Mark Twain Circle.

--The Mark Twain Circle's Thomas A. Tenney Service Award was presented
to John Bird in honor of his superb work as the founding editor of The
Mark Twain Annual.  John is also a former executive coordinator of the
Mark Twain Circle and is the author of "Mark Twain and Metaphor."  In
his presentation of the award, Circle President Bruce Michelson failed
to mention that John is (along with Mark Dawidziak and a few other
cigar-smoking stalwarts) one of the keepers of the flame--both literally
and metaphorically--of the much-praised octagonal-study-site smoking and
singing ceremony that occurs at each Elmira conference, but I'm sure
Bruce will be glad that I'm filling that void here.

--The Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies presented the Henry
Nash Smith Award to Horst Kruse, commemorating Horst's excellent
scholarly work as carrying on the high standards in Twain studies that
Henry Nash Smith represented in an earlier time.  Horst is especially
noted for his 1981 classic of Twain scholarship, "Mark Twain and 'Life
on the Mississippi.'"

--The Elmira College Center for Mark Twain Studies presented the John S.
Tuckey Award to Tom Quirk, whose contributions to Mark Twain studies
include his books "Coming to Grips with Huckleberry Finn," "Mark Twain:
A Study of the Short Fiction," "Mark Twain and Human Nature," and "Mark
Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: A Documentary Volume," as well
as his current, highly successful general editorship of the University
of Missouri Press's Mark Twain and His Circle Series.  Tom is a former
president of the Mark Twain Circle.

Major congratulations to all four.  We're very fortunate to have them as
colleagues.  --Jim Leonard