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Distinguished Service Award 2023
& Traverse Connect Business & Community Achievement Awards


Please join us on Wednesday, May 22nd at Park Place Hotel & Conference Center as we honor and celebrate the 2023 Distinguished Service Award recipient, Gilbert Bogley.





Gilbert Bogley, retired Traverse City Record-Eagle president and publisher, was selected by the Traverse Connect Board of Directors to receive the Distinguished Service Award. The DSA is among the region's oldest and most prestigious civic awards, presented annually since 1929. Mr. Bogley will be honored at the Distinguished Service Award Luncheon on May 22, 2024.

 

Traverse Connect Business & Community Achievement Awards

Join us for an exciting event as Traverse Connect proudly presents the Business & Community Achievement Awards, featuring live voting during the Distinguished Service Award Luncheon. Our mission is to honor and celebrate the businesses and leaders who have significantly impacted the Grand Traverse Region in 2023. We invite the community to nominate deserving businesses and individuals for recognition in three distinguished categories: Rising Star (TCYP), New Business of The Year, and Economic Impact. From each category, three finalists will advance to participate in live voting during the luncheon on May 22nd, where they will be announced and honored. Let's come together to acknowledge and applaud the remarkable contributions within our community.









Click here to learn more about each category.
 

More about Gilbert Bogley: 

Gilbert Bogley's career began in the U.S. Army in 1948 with enrollment in the ROTC program at Princeton University. After graduating with an A.B. in Modern Languages, Spanish, Bogley served as Second Lieutenant in South Korea until 1954 and in the U.S. Army Reserve until 1960. After returning home from Korea, Bogley launched his sales career at Prudential Insurance in 1955 before relocating to Traverse City in 1960 to sell advertising for the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Gil is fond of saying that not only did the move to Traverse City create both his career in newspapers and numerous friendships that have lasted a lifetime, but also that Traverse City was the kind of place where one was asked to get involved in community organizations. Bogley's first service position was as a board member of the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce in 1962, with terms continuing into the 1980s. During this time, Gil joined the Traverse City Kiwanis Club. He was elected for two terms on the G.T. County Commission, including service on the City Planning Commission, the Board of Zoning Appeals, and the newly formed County Planning Commission. Bogley served as the first President of the Traverse Area Foundation, dedicated to creating open space on West G.T. Bay, and volunteered for Grace Episcopal Church, Michigan Children's Aid, the Red Cross, Little League, the Grand Traverse Ski Club, and founded the T.C. Invitational Tournament.
 
After a temporary professional relocation to Oregon from 1978 to 1987, Bogley returned "home" to Traverse City as Publisher and President of the Record-Eagle. After joining the Traverse City Rotary Club and its board, Gil supported Rotary Charities" Rob Collier and helped found the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC). From spearheading a change to the mission of the Chamber in the 60s to include the preservation and enhancement of our natural resources is the cornerstone of our successful economy? to uniting the region to preserve its land in a volunteer leadership role with the GTRLC, Bogley championed natural resource conservation.  After retiring in 1993, Bogley served three terms on the Munson Healthcare Board, spearheading the merger of Munson Hospital and Traverse City Osteopathic Hospital. Gil's community involvement has continued with service with the Suttons Bay Rotary Club, the Lake Leelanau Association Board, and the International Affairs Forum Board.
 
Gil and his wife Anne were married for 65 years until Anne's passing in 2021. They raised their three children, Bill, John, and Elizabeth, in the Slabtown neighborhood. Gil continues to reside in the area and splits his time between Elmwood Township and Lake Leelanau.
 
"Gil Bogley has been a thoughtful, ethical, and visionary leader for our region for several decades. Each contribution of Gil's wisdom and time has greatly benefited our community," said Glen Chown, executive director of the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. "For nearly 33 years, Gil has served as a trusted advisor and friend. I can think of no one more deserving of this honor, given the breadth of his contributions and the depth of his commitment to service above self."
 
"Gil laid the groundwork in making so many decisions that made our Grand Traverse area even more beautiful by showcasing and properly utilizing the many resources it possesses," said friend and past DSA recipient Susie Janis.
 
"I have watched and admired Gil for his leadership style in a variety of situations. He achieved results that few could have accomplished through his positive attitude and unwavering commitment to the goal," said John Rockwood, past CEO of Munson Healthcare. It is difficult to think of a more deserving individual for this award.?


About the DSA Award: The award is a 90-year tradition that annually recognizes a local resident for his or her efforts to improve the lives of people living and working in the Grand Traverse area. The DSA honors business leaders, public servants, patrons of area arts, naturalists, and those from a host of other backgrounds who've worked and given tirelessly to improve the region, according to Traverse Connect.

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