The CWC Tri-Valley Branch created the Sue Tasker Memorial Service Award in 2008 to honor the memory of Sue Tasker, the founding president of the branch and volunteer extraordinaire. Sue has been described by members as “doing the work of three people.” She displayed an endless passion and drive for the Tri-Valley Branch in her two years as president and then as vice president and program chair.
2024 Recipient – Rose Owens
On June 15, 2024, Tri-Valley Branch honored Rose Owens with the 2024 Sue Tasker Memorial Service Award. Established to honor TVW founder Sue Tasker, the award is given to a member who has shown loyalty, dedication, and creative service to the branch. Rose joined Tri-Valley-Valley Writers in 2017 and once she got her bearings, decided to volunteer. She led the branch as president in 2022-2024. She also served on the board as vice president (2019-2020) and newsletter editor (2020-2022). Rose is a professional storyteller who has shared stories for over forty years. She enjoys telling traditional folktales, multicultural stories, family stories, and her own original stories. She says that storytelling is like spinning a silver web that invites listeners to come and be part of the storytelling experience.
2022 Recipient – Linda Todd
Linda Todd is the 2022 recipient of the Sue Tasker Memorial Service Award. Established to honor TVW founder Sue Tasker, the award is given to a member who has shown loyalty, dedication, and creative service to the branch. Linda has volunteered her expertise in a range of jobs—large and small—for Tri-Valley Writers. In 2015-2016, she served on the board as membership chair and program chair from 2018-2020. After the publication of TVW’s first anthology and when the branch decided to produce an anthology every couple of years, Linda immediately got involved. She brought her organizational skills as the Voices of the Valley: Encore (2013) committee leader, served as a copy editor for the 2015, 2018, and 2020 anthologies, and as a fiction committee member on the 2020 anthology. She also compiled a Style Guide that the branch continues to provide for anthology submitters. Lindais always available to lend a hand at check-in for the TVW Writers Conferences, fills in when needed as a copy editor for the branch’s newsletter, and has contributed as a short story judge for TVW’s annual high school writing contest for the past three years.
2020 Recipient – Patricia Boyle
Patricia Boyle, a past president of Tri-Valley Writers, is the 2020 recipient of the Sue Tasker Memorial Service Award. Established to honor TVW founder Sue Tasker, the award is given to a member who has shown loyalty, dedication, and creative service to the branch. Patricia led the branch as president in 2016-2018, and just finished two terms as the newsletter editor. She was also vice president and is once again in the 2020-21 term. While president, Patricia began the TVW Partners Program, teaming a new member with a volunteer to help answer questions about the branch and be a friendly face at meetings. She also started the Pull Up A Chair and Write sessions at The Corner Bakery in Pleasanton (those sessions are now Zoom meetings hosted by Marilyn Dykstra). Patricia has been a champion for the High School Writing Contest, and an advocate for the branch’s youth members.
2018 Recipient – Patrick Coyle
On June 16, 2018, Tri-Valley Branch honored Patrick Coyle with the Sue Tasker Memorial Service Award. Patrick has been a member of the branch since the year of its founding in 2005. He has served on the board of directors as secretary and is TVW’s photographer as well as the STEM critique group leader. In addition to his ‘regular’ volunteer duties, Patrick has been a judge in the essay category of TVW’s high school writing contest for several years and been on the staff of the branch’s anthologies.
Patrick journals and writes memoir and personal stories about travel and sustainable development. His short memoir, “Time of Your Life,” won first place in Impressions, the Las Positas College 2015 anthology. Other memoirs have been published in the Voices of the Valley: Encore, California Writers Club Tri-Valley Branch anthology (2013); 4th Street Studio’s Livermore Wine Country Literary Harvest and Saturday Salon Literary Harvest anthologies.
2016 Recipient – Sharon Svitak
On June 18, 2016, Tri-Valley Branch honored Sharon Svitak with the Sue Tasker Memorial Service Award. Sharon joined TVW in February of 2009. She promptly volunteered to be the newsletter editor, where she produced a rich monthly newsletter for three years. After that, she utilized her finance background to become not only TVW’s treasurer, but the treasurer for the statewide organization. She has served in this role for the past four years, including taking on the state membership chair position last year. Simply put: Sharon keeps the branch and the board of directors sticking to a budget. Because of this, TVW is financially stable which allows us to plan and implement all our events: monthly meetings, workshops, biennial anthologies, biennial conference, and annual High School Writing Contest.
Sharon is the author of Simply Irresistible: A Spruce Creek Romance; Letters to Ethan: Joe’s Story; “Book of Memories” for Chicken Soup for the Soul: Grieving and Recovery; and her writings have appeared in all three TVW Voices of the Valley anthologies. She is near publication on her second Spruce Creek Romance, Simply Provacative. In her spare time, Sharon enjoys reading, wine tasting, and of course travel. In fact, she pens many of her scenes onboard cruise ships.
2014 Recipient – Hector Timourian
On June 21, 2014, Tri-Valley Branch honored Hector Timourian with the Sue Tasker Memorial Service Award. Hector is a charter member who joined in 2005 during the organizational year. Hector has been published in several anthologies including the Las Positas College Anthology where he won first prize for his poem “Abraham’s Hope” He has also published a memoir Gifts from America, describing humorous vignettes of immigrant family new to the United States. He has also contributed poems and short stories for both TVW anthologies First Press and Encore.
In 2007, Hector established the first critique group and set the standard rule “be nice” to foster and encourage new members. When the critique group grew too large, he initiated the first separation of critique group for novelists. He was the first person to hawk tickets for our book drawing. He attends most of the monthly meetings and rallies and invites new writers to come to meetings. Many have joined including Neva Hodges and most recently Sheran Clark. He served on the anthology committee for Encore and wrote the “Declaration for Independent Publishing” for the opening pages.
2012 Recipient – Annette Langer
and Annette Langer (right)
On May 19, 2012, Tri-Valley Branch honored Annette Langer with the Sue Tasker Memorial Service Award. Annette is a charter member who joined in 2005 during the organizational year. As the reservations contact, Annette was often the first contact with visitors by email, telephone, or as greeter at monthly meetings at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel. Annette volunteered to be the branch historian in 2010, and expanded her role from collecting information about branch events to encouraging members to submit photos, biographies and publishing successes.
Annette has published two books: Healing through Humor: Change Your Focus, Change Your Life! and A Funny Thing Happened on My Way to the World: Diary of a Fearless Travel Agent. She is a frequent contributor to the Tri-Valley website blog and serves on the new member accreditation committee.
Annette’s volunteerism reaches beyond CWC Tri-Valley Branch. She has been a volunteer with the Pleasanton Police Department since 2004. Her activities there have gained her global recognition and inspired her current work-in-progress, a collection of stories about the experiences she and her fellow police volunteers have had while on duty. Annette also volunteers at the Pleasanton Senior Center Peddler Shop where she displays her books.
2010 Recipient – Maureen Boyd-Biro
On June 19, 2010, Tri-Valley Writers honored Maureen Boyd-Biro with the Sue Tasker Memorial Service Award. Maureen has been involved with the club since its beginning and served as Program chair. Maureen’s many contacts in the writing and publishing world enabled her to bring exciting, informative speakers to our fledgling chapter, helping us to attract new members and establish the branch as a vital part of the local arts community. Maureen is a charter member of both Tri-Valley and Mt. Diablo. She has a long and varied career in writing and publishing, including being a columnist, children’s book author and memoirist.
2008 Recipient – Fred Norman
Fred Norman, Michael Tasker (right)
In June 2008 the CWC Tri-Valley Branch honored Fred Norman with the Sue Tasker Memorial Service Award in recognition of his outstanding service to the CWC Tri-Valley Branch.
Fred has been a dedicated member of the branch since its inception. A charter member, he has filled numerous roles throughout the years, beginning with treasurer. Fred has been the meeting reservationist, greeter and door prize coordinator. He has been the master of ceremonies for Literary Evening where he educated attendees with tidbits of writing information sprinkled throughout the event and charms attendees with his humor. Fred’s poetry and prose has been published in several anthologies and newspapers.