Top Civil Servants Honored

The winners -- shimmering in silk and tuxedos -- thanked their mothers, blinked back tears and posed for the cameras, just as they do at the Oscars. But the awards were called the Sammies, or the Service to America Medals, and the stars of the program were civil servants who typically perform backstage.

"Your good work reflects the best of our country," President Bush said in a letter read aloud at the fifth annual gala, held Wednesday at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium.

The Sammies were created by the Partnership for Public Service and the Atlantic Media Company. A committee selected nine winners from more than 500 nominees and 30 finalists. Nancy Cox, a scientist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, won the top award, Federal Employee of the Year, for "leading the world's efforts to prepare for a catastrophic flu pandemic."

The event's emcee, Gwen Ifill, host of PBS's "Washington Week," joked in her opening: "Before I begin my remarks, are there any Transportation Department officials in the room? I just drove into D.C. from Northern Virginia, and there are some things I'd like to discuss during the first break."

At the end of the evening, after hearing tributes to the honorees, Ifill expressed admiration for the federal bureaucrats who filled the ballroom:

The next time our government does something that frustrates you . . .

Think about Nancy Cox and Nancy Powell protecting us from the threat of an avian flu pandemic.

Think about Tom Casadevall and Mark Ward helping thousands of people survive some of the worst natural disasters in history.

Think about Martin Harrell standing up to injustice and fighting threats to our environment.

Think about Norden Huang and Bill Phillips conducting cutting-edge research to improve the quality of our lives.

Think about Ron McNeal supporting the troops who support us all.

Think about Christina Sanford putting her safety at risk so that others may enjoy the taste of freedom and democracy.

And think about the nearly 2 million other Americans like them, who go to work every day to serve a cause larger than themselves.

-- Laura Blumenfeld