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Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne joined members of the campus community in honoring this year’s winners of the Amy J. Blue Awards in a ceremony Tuesday, May 15.

This year’s Amy J. Blue winners are Christina Ablaza, program manager of the Creative Writing Program; Sheila Dolezal, director of finance and administration in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology of Stanford Medicine; and Rafael Velazquez, food service worker in Stanford Dining, a division of Residential & Dining Enterprises.

The awards honor staff members who are exceptionally dedicated, supportive of colleagues and passionate about their work.

The award was established in 1991 to honor the life and work of Amy J. Blue, associate vice president for administrative services and facilities, who died of brain cancer in May 1988, about a month before her 45th birthday.

Stanford created a garden in her name, a small oasis of flowering trees and shrubs located near Memorial Church. It has four wooden benches, including one that rocks, and a sundial with an engraved motto: “Count only sunny hours.”

Blue was known as a whirlwind of a woman who brought excitement, intensity and novelty into every undertaking. She also was known as an extraordinary leader – a woman of incisive intelligence, abundant energy and unrelenting honesty.

2018 Amy J. Blue Award winners

Christina Ablaza, ‘heart and soul of the Creative Writing Program,’ wins 2018 Amy J. Blue Award

Christina Ablaza, program manager of the Creative Writing Program, will receive a  2018 Amy J. Blue Award at a campus ceremony on May 15. The award honors staff members who are exceptionally dedicated, supportive of colleagues and passionate about their work.

Sheila Dolezal, ‘team player extraordinaire,’ wins 2018 Amy J. Blue Award

Sheila Dolezal, the director of finance and administration in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology of Stanford Medicine, will receive a 2018 Amy J. Blue Award. The award honors staff members who are exceptionally dedicated, supportive of colleagues and passionate about their work.

Rafael Velazquez, known for his contagious good cheer and tasty omelets, wins 2018 Amy J. Blue Award

Rafael Velazquez, a food service worker in Branner Dining, will receive a 2018 Amy J. Blue Award at a campus ceremony on May 15. The award honors staff members who are exceptionally dedicated, supportive of colleagues and passionate about their work.