Woody Dunn Memorial Trophy

How it is awarded

Recipients are determined by a vote of the Region's Board of Governors, however, Nebraska Region members are allowed to submit nominations.

History of the Trophy

The Woody Dunn Trophy is the oldest trophy still being given. The trophy was donated to the Region by Woody Dunn's parents. It was originally presented to the Region's most valuable member.

Who was Woody Dunn?

by Patt Buell

When I first saw the trophy in the early 1970s I wondered who was the man that this trophy was named for. I asked all the older members but all I found out was that he was a member of Nebraska Region and was killed in a car accident traveling back to Lincoln.

I forgot about the Woody Dunn trophy for at least a decade, until I interviewed Sandy Downs when I was editor in 2005. Sandy was one of our 1954 NRSCCA founders.

Sandy knew Woody Dunn, and said, "Woody was in the Air Force stationed in Lincoln and Dave Hollenbaugh was Woody's roommate." He thought Woody's family owned the Woodbury Soap Company in Connecticut. Sandy said he was coming back from Chicago to Lincoln one weekend and was killed in a car/truck accident.

Woody's parents donated the money for the trophy in their son's name and two members in the NRSCCA bought the trophy, the Woody Dunn Memorial, to be presented to the member deemed most valuable to the club throughout the preceding year. Sandy Downs was the first recipient of the trophy in December 1956.

I then went out on the internet and looked up the Woodbury Soap Company and found this: "In 1901 The Andrew Jergens Company purchased the John H. Woodbury Company and their highly popular products skin soaps which included Woodbury Facial Soap ... Woodbury was one of the first to market a skin soap as distinct from just soap."

But I still had not found anything on Woody. So, in hope of finding something in Lincoln, I emailed NRSCCA member, Eric Gregory, who works for the Lincoln paper and he gave me the email to their archives. I want to thank Denise Matulka of the Lincoln Journal Star, as well as Eric, for this information.

Denise found an article of the accident on June 6, 1956 in the Lincoln Star. It states it was a car truck accident on Highway 6 outside of Oakland, IA. Dunn was driving a small German car. The driver of the truck escaped injury. He had been passing another truck and hit Woody head on. Woody died instantly.

It states that Lt. David Hollenbaugh, his former roommate, said that Woody had left base about two months before to attend school in Chicago and was headed to Lincoln for a visit. Woody was only 26 years old. His full name was Woodbury Dunn.