September 25, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) Center for Aging will announce dual winners of the 2008 Bynum Award at the seventh annual "A Celebration of Life" awards reception, 2 - 4 p.m., on Sunday, Oct. 19, at the UAB Highlands Hospital.

The reception and awards recognize the tremendous contributions of older adults to society as a whole and serves to thank those who have helped support research, education and service programs of the Center for Aging.

The winners of the 2008 Bynum Award are Steffen Waendelin and Dr. Thomas Alexander Symington Wilson.

The son of Danish immigrants, Waendelin came to Birmingham in 1955. He helped establish the Homewood Senior Center in 2002 and was named 2006 Homewood Citizen of the Year. He is an active volunteer with Friends of German Language and Culture, Southern Dance Works, the Homewood Citizens Association and the Homewood Senior Center. 

A native of Birmingham, Wilson earned his medical degree at UAB in 1960 and completed residency here in general and thoracic surgery. He maintained a private cardiovascular and thoracic surgery practice in Birmingham for 31 years.

Wilson has been an active leader in the quest for quality care for senior citizens. He has been in the forefront of community activities, especially as they impact the elderly and infirm.

He served on the Board of Directors for St. Martin's in the Pines from 2002-2006, serving on the team that created the Cottages at St. Martin's in the Pines, a GREEN HOUSE® Community. This is the first facility of its kind to be built in Alabama and the second in the Southeastern region.

He is a leader in the non-profit community for organizations such as the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, where he served on the Board of Directors for 10 years (1990-2000) and the Spring Valley School, a school for children from first grade through high school with learning difficulties.

The Bynum Award honors an adult 75 years or older who continues to work to improve the health and well-being of older adults in the community. The award, established in 2005, recognizes Robert Bynum's many years of service to older adults as Deputy Administrator of Social Security, as a member of the Alabama Commission on Aging, and as an employee and consultant for the Center for Aging.

Anyone wishing to make a donation to the UAB Center for Aging in honor of the recipients may send it to the UAB Center for Aging, 933 South 19th St., Suite 201, 35294.