2007 Emma Merritt Award Winner:
Gayle Wilson

(From July 2007 RWR)

By Kelley St. John

The Emma Merritt Award honors major commitments of service to RWA and is presented for the accumulated body of effort a volunteer may make during a lifetime. The highest service award presented by the organization, the Emma Merritt Award lauds those individuals who have gone above and beyond with service to the organization as a whole. This year’s commendable recipient of the Emma Merritt Award is former RWA President Gayle Wilson.

Gayle Wilson is an intriguing author with the ability to captivate romantic suspense readers and historical readers alike. Her gripping stories pull you into the world she creates, where danger and passion coincide in unmistakable harmony. Refusing to see her success as a reason to forego her willingness to help others achieve the same status, she spends a large portion of each year helping new and upcoming writers reach their dreams.

After almost 30 years as a high school teacher, Gayle Wilson takes advantage of that vast experience, giving back to RWA by teaching numerous workshops and seminars on various phases of the craft of writing. These workshops and seminars have been presented to many RWA chapters, all without charge. As an attendee of several of these workshops, I can personally say that my writing craft has been enriched by the words of wisdom conveyed by Gayle Wilson’s teaching.

A founding member of the Southern Magic RWA Chapter in Birmingham, Alabama, Gayle Wilson began her service to RWA at the chapter level by serving a multitude of office and committee positions to support her local chapter, including serving on several conference committees as well as performing the positions of treasurer and retreat chair.

In 2002, Gayle Wilson began her service to RWA at the National level when she was elected as RWA’s Region 3 Director. During that term, she served as Awards Ceremony Liaison and Liaison to the RWR, as well as on numerous Board task forces. She campaigned for RWA-PRO Recognition, the program designed to effectively promote and protect the interests of romance writers between manuscript submission and publication and to enhance the channels of communication between those romance writers and publishing industry professionals.

Following her term as Regional Director, Gayle Wilson was elected President-Elect in 2004, then continued her exceptional service to RWA by serving as RWA President during 2005 and 2006. As President, she performed her duties with the same focus and determination that she has provided throughout all of her services to RWA, promoting the romance industry and ensuring that RWA reaches its fullest potential. Undoubtedly, RWA has been forever strengthened due to Gayle Wilson’s superb service.