Richard Utley is the 2014 recipient of the William S. O’Farrell Award. This award is for an individual who has made significant contributions to Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA), either in the form of notable achievement or special projects, or through substantial volunteer work over a long period of time.
The Award is named for Bill O’Farrell and honors all that Bill did for AMIA, the mentoring role he has played over the years to so many archivists, and his contribution to the field.
Richard Utley is the divisional Vice President of PRO-TEK Vaults overseeing preservation services and is a liaison with studio asset protection managers. Rick began his career in the motion picture industry in 1966 at Metrocolor Laboratories on the MGM Studio lot. He was superintendent of the MGM lab operations from 1983 to 1989 with 12 direct reports and over 350 employees. He left the MGM lab to become manager of lab operations for Technicolor, Inc. in Los Angeles from 1989 until May 1993. Rick was approached by Kodak in 1993 to help develop a new preservation-service business based on archival storage. The new business became PRO-TEK Vaults, now owned by the LAC Group. (lac-group.com).
Rick has been a member of AMIA since 1993 and served on the board of directors as Treasurer for six years. Over the years he has been involved in the development of key AMIA projects. He helped to establish AMIA’s development strategies and played a significant role in restructuring its financial and accounting practices during his terms as treasurer on the Board of Directors.
Rick’s discussions on the Board about the need to address the digital arena led to the idea of the DAS event. The Vendor Café at the Conference was a project Rick shepherded during and after his time on the Board and it continues to bring new members into the Association. With support from Kodak and AMIA, he established the Kodak Fellowship in 1999 to offer hands-on laboratory experience as well as provide scholarship funds for students selected by the AMIA Education Committee. Many recipients of the Kodak Fellowship have continued to play key roles within the Association and serve on its Board. Throughout his membership, Rick has advocated for AMIA, served as a mentor for young professionals, and served in an advisory capacity to many in the Association.
We formally congratulate Richard Utley on this well-earned and deserved award.