Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1541667
The George Heller Memorial Awards were first established in 1956 in honor of stage performer and American Federation of Radio Artists co-founder and former National Executive Secretary George Heller. Heller was a driving force in the establishment of the AFTRA Pension and Health Plan before his untimely passing in 1955. Award recipients are decided by the SAG-AFTRA Honors & Tributes Committee. SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin welcomed guests to this year's event, which was emceed by Washington-Mid Atlantic Local President Tracee Wilkins. Previous gold card recipients, former Vice President, Mid-Sized Locals Michele Proude; former National Board and Los Angeles Local Board member Stacey Travis; and former Vice President, Recording Artists/Singers Janice Pendarvis, served as award presenters. ● THE GOLD STANDARD Member Exceence 82 SAG-AFTRA | Fall/Winter 2025 | sagaftra.org T he George Heller Memorial Awards took place on Oct. 25, at the end of the first day of the 2025 convention. The awards, which recognizes those with unwavering, dedicated service to the union, are presented in the form of a special gold membership card. In keeping with its longstanding tradition, the announcements were a closely kept secret, offering a delightful surprise for its recipients: SAG-AFTRA National Board member and Los Angeles Local Second Vice President David Jolliffe; former National Board member and former Los Angeles Local Second Vice President Ellen Crawford; and National Board member and New York Local Fourth Vice President Liz Zazzi. ELLEN CRAWFORD has been a longtime advocate and union organizer, previously serving multiple terms as a SAG-AFTRA National Board member and, prior to that, as a Los Angeles Local vice president, during which she served as chair of the National Organizing, National Financial Core, and Members Organizing Volunteer Efforts committees. She played a pivotal role in helping foster the creation of the National NextGen Committee, an initiative that not only expanded into locals across the union, but has also created databases of activist members, bringing energy to rallies, events and other union initiatives. Her activism has made her a familiar and trusted ally across the labor community. A strike captain during the 2023 TV/Theatrical/Streaming strike, she has also stood in solidarity with nurses, hotel workers and others in need. Crawford's leadership has strengthened cross-union solidarity and inspired future labor advocates. She currently represents SAG-AFTRA as a vice president of the California Federation of Labor Unions. LIZ ZAZZI has been an active unionist for several decades, serving both SAG and AFTRA legacy unions and, following the 2012 merger, playing an active role as a New York Local and National Board member. Known by colleagues and friends for being a fierce union advocate, she has served as a chair, co-chair, national chair, vice chair and division co-chair across a multitude of local and national committees, including the National Communications, National Probable Cause, National Executive, and National and New York Young Performers Committees. Her role as chair of the SAG-AFTRA Editorial Subcommittee has been instrumental in shaping SAG-AFTRA magazine into a widely respected and award-winning union publication. Previously, Zazzi was a recipient of the Joseph C. Riley Award. In addition to serving as the fourth vice president of the New York Local, Zazzi remains deeply involved with the New Jersey AFL-CIO. DAVID JOLLIFFE's union service spans nearly three decades and is as robust as his professional resume. He has served on and assumed leadership roles on numerous local and national committees, including the National Executive, Organizing and Legislative Committees. He's also chaired multiple wages and working conditions meetings, and has been an active participant on several negotiating committees for the union's TV/Theatrical, Commercials, Animation and Dubbing agreements. As a performer, he's appeared in over 100 commercials and has lent his voice to over 1,000 television episodes. His knowledge, expertise and patience have made Jolliffe a well-known and trusted leader, and his commitment to his fellow members has proven integral in furthering the union's work. Jolliffe is currently serving a second consecutive term as second vice president of the SAG-AFTRA Los Angeles Local.