The Kehr Award is presented annually by the APS “for enduring contributions that help guarantee the future of the hobby.”
The award is named for Life Member Ernest A. Kehr. Established in 1991, the Kehr Award recognizes one living philatelist each year who, for a period of at least five years, has demonstrated one or more of the following:
- Making philately attractive as a hobby to newcomers.
- Working directly with newcomers, especially young people.
- Developing and administering programs aimed at recruiting newcomers.
Vesma Grinfelds
Like so many other philatelists, the collecting bug bit Grinfelds at the early age of 7. She found stamps in glassines that her parents had accumulated while in an American zone refugee camp in Germany. The local library provided a Scott catalog and she knew that she was handling massive riches! She dabbled with collecting for the next 10 years, carefully placing the stamps which her parents had accumulated into albums.
Grinfelds took the usual break for education and life but returned to the hobby in 1986, thanks to AMERIPEX, after which she dove headlong into philately.
Grinfelds began exhibiting in 1991 with the guidance of a local mentor and have created numerous exhibits, ranging from a single frame to eight frames. She shows exhibits in local, regional, national and international events. All of her exhibits relate to her Latvian heritage.
Grinfelds mentored her son, Dzintars, who won the AAPE Youth Championship four times with two different exhibits, which led to her tenure as the AAPE Youth Champion of Champions director since 2012. She enjoys organizing that event and has seen several of youths blossom in philately and continue with their exhibiting and writing skills. Annually, she has requested donations for the awards, coordinating a jury and seeing the champion crowned at the end, which brings her great satisfaction.
Internationally, Grinfelds has been the U.S. commissioner to Korea 2014, New York 2016, Jerusalem 2016, Prague 2018, Indonesia 2022, IBRA 2023 and this year, the show in Estonia. She enjoys the organizing and attention to detail that being commissioner requires.
Outside philately, Grinfelds has bowled professionally for more than 20 years, winning 10 national pro titles, 13 regional pro titles and two international titles (Philippines and Japan). She was inducted into the National Bowling Hall of Fame in 1991 and Professional Bowling Hall of Fame in 1997, authored The Complete Book of Bowling and has rolled six perfect 300 games.
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