LEVY GIVEN BRADLEY-PARKER AWARD

The American Game and Puzzle Collector organization is dedicated to the furtherance of the study and collecting of games and puzzles. Throughout its long history (having been founded in 1985 by game historian Bruce Whitehill), it has seen fit to recognize the contributions of various persons who have contributed to the growth and development of the business and pleasure of games and puzzles. The Bradley-Parker Award specifically “recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the area of games – their design, manufacture, distribution or the histories that surround them. The award is named after Milton Bradley and George S. Parker, the two American innovators whose 19th century company names live on (under the auspices of Hasbro). The AGPC awards a person who has done outstanding work in one of three areas: games, jigsaw puzzles and mechanical puzzles.” The list of former recipients of the Bradley-Parker Award and its predecessor, the Abbot Award (named after one of America’s earliest known game inventors, Anne Abbot) is studded with names familiar to those of us involved in gaming and includes:

Jim Prentice – Electric Game Co. 1993 Abbot

Robert J. Whiteman – Bettye- B Company 1994 Abbot

Douglas R. Bolton – Cadaco-Ellis 1995 Abbot

Lynn Pressman – Pressman 1996 Abbot

Sid Sackson – Game inventor 1997 Abbot

Francis Spear – Spear Games 2005 Bradley-Parker

Victor Watson – Waddingtons Games 2005 Bradley-Parker

Bruce Whitehill – Games historian 2008 Bradley-Parker

And on April 30, 2011:

Herb Levy – Gamers Alliance 2011 Bradley-Parker Award

In accepting the award, I was the keynote speaker at the 2011 AGPC Convention held in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

For my thoughts on the Convention, read it here. Likewise, if you’re curious about what I said, read my full speech here.

– Herb Levy