SAG-AFTRA Honors David Hartley-Margolin With Howard Keel Award

SAG-AFTRA has selected David Hartley-Margolin as the 2016 recipient of the Howard Keel Award for his “significant” contributions to the union.

The Howard Keel Award is the highest honor given by the SAG-AFTRA Committee of Locals, and will be presented Oct. 14 in Los Angeles at the Committee of Locals meeting. The award, which was created in 2008, is named after the late actor and singer Howard Keel, who served as SAG’s 10th president in 1958 and 1959.

Keel, a proponent of merger with AFTRA, expanded SAG’s national board from 39 to 52 seats, which allowed for local representation from New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, and Boston.

“I am thrilled to congratulate my friend and colleague David Hartley-Margolin on this well-deserved recognition,” said SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris. “I admire his many contributions to the union and his service to the membership. David embodies the spirit and meaning of the Howard Keel Award.”

Hartley-Margolin — known as DHM to his colleagues — currently serves as SAG-AFTRA’s vice president of small locals, a position he has held since 2012. His previous union service includes the following positions: third VP, Screen Actors Guild, 2008-2012; AFTRA national VP, 2001-2007; SAG National Board member, 2003-2012; AFTRA National Board member, 1987-2007; and SAG Colorado Branch president, 1991-2003.

He can be heard as the narrator for the PBS documentary “History of Communications” and on more than 500 titles for the National Library Service/Library of Congress. He was one of the leaders advocating SAG and AFTRA’s merger, and received the George Heller Memorial Award gold card at the inaugural SAG-AFTRA convention in Los Angeles in 2013.

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