2025 David Thompson Special Service Award Recipients: Lucinda Surber and Stan Ulrich

Bouchercon Announced the 2025 David Thompson Special Service Award Recipients. Perfect! Congratulations, Lucinda and Stan. Well deserved!!!

Bouchercon, the world’s largest mystery writers and fans conference, announced that Lucinda Surber and Stan Ulrich are the 2025 recipients of the David Thompson Memorial Special ServiceAward for their extraordinary efforts to develop and promote the crime fiction field.

“We’re insanely thrilled to receive the David Thompson Award and humbled to join the starry ranks of past honorees!” Stan and Lucinda reacted when notified of the award.

Mystery/crime fiction enthusiasts, Lucinda and Stan have been key leaders in the landscape for more than twenty years. Their first mystery convention was Bouchercon 2007 in Anchorage, Alaska and they have since served in a variety of Bouchercon volunteer positions. Stan joined the Bouchercon national board serving as Treasurer and Rules Committee Chair. Later Stan and Lucinda were Chairs of the volunteer subcommittee for two Bouchercon conventions, and Anthony Awards Chairs in Long Beach in 2014 and in Dallas in 2019.

Lucinda and Stan are also the driving force behind the mystery conference, Left Coast Crime. Stan, a retired lawyer, is President of the Left Coast Crime Conference. Lucinda, a former educator, is the organization’s Secretary. They’ve been managing the Lefty Awards since 2011. 

“Stan and Lucinda exemplify the dedication and expertise of those in a special category: key volunteers,” says Cheryl Head, Bouchercon Board Chair. “We couldn’t be successful without them.”

The David Thompson Award will be presented to Stan and Lucinda at the Opening Ceremonies of Blood on the Bayou: Case Closed in New Orleans, September 3-7, 2025. 

Volunteer at Bouchercon!

10/28: UPDATED VOLUNTEER POSITIONS

Coming to Bouchercon, November 13-16? Want to meet like minded people--fans, readers, and authors-- while helping out at Bouchercon: Murder at the Beach, in Long Beach? Then we have a job for you! So many volunteer jobs to choose from and at different times. Or sign up for more than one!

Please respond to Lucinda Surber (volunteer@Bouchercon2014.com), Volunteer Chair.

See you at Bouchercon!

Call for Volunteers from Lucinda Surber, Volunteer Chair:  If you’re looking for a way to have fun, meet fellow mystery lovers, and contribute to the Bouchercon convention — volunteer!

Here are some areas where we need help. Please email Lucinda Surber volunteer@bouchercon2014.com to choose a volunteer job (or two!). Be sure to mention what days/times you are available. 

Book Bag Setup: We will be organizing the books for bag stuffing on Tuesday from 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Volunteers will need to lift some boxes and unpack the books onto tables. There will also be some smaller things to organize. Please indicate when you would be available to help. 

Book Bag Stuffing: We will be stuffing books into the book bags on Wednesday from 9:00 AM until done, hopefully by 3:00-4:00 PM. Please indicate when you would be available to help. 

Registration Desk: Sign up for a two-hour shift helping to manage the registration desk. We need both experienced Registration Desk volunteers and those who have never done this fun job of welcoming convention registrations and handing out the registration envelopes. We need volunteers Wednesday from 3:00-7:00 PM, Thursday from 7:00 AM - 5:30 PM, Friday from 7:00 AM - 4:30 PM, and Saturday 7:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Please let me know the approximate time you would be available to help. 

Book Bag Distribution: Sign up for a shift distributing the book bags to registrants during the hours that registration is open on Wednesday through Friday. Please let Lucinda know the approximate time you would be available to help. 

Volunteer Table Helper: Sign up to take a shift at the volunteer table, distributing packets to the Panel Room and Book-Signing volunteers. The Volunteer Table will be open from 15 minutes before the first panel of the day until 15 minutes before the final panel of the day. This job is even more fun if you sign up with a friend you would like to catch up with during the lulls. 

Panel Room Volunteer: Sign up for a shift managing a program room. Responsibilities include making sure the panelists have water, holding up signs so the panel moderator knows how much time is left before the end of the program, and escorting the panelists to the signing space after the panel. Written instructions will be provided. If you are interested, please check the panel schedule and let Lucinda know which panels you would like to help with. It's fine to give a long list of panels you want to attend with a note about how many total panels you would be willing to help with. 

Author Focus Volunteer: Sign up for a shift helping manage a track of Author focus sessions. If you are interested, please check the panel schedule and let Lucinda know which track you would like to help with. It's fine to give a long list of tracks you would be willing to manage along with a note about how many total tracks you would be willing to help with. 

Book-Signing Volunteer: Sign up for a shift helping with the book signing after panels. Duties include placing signage, greeting and directing authors to their seats, and managing lines to avoid congestion. The signings follow each panel track for about half an hour. The signing shifts last about an hour — half an hour before the panel ends to organize the signs and half hour of signing. Please indicate how many shifts you would like to do and when you are available. 

Silent Auction Room Setup: Sign up to help organize the Silent Auction Room on Wednesday. 

Silent Auction Monitor: Sign up for a shift monitoring the Silent Auction Items on Thursday (10:00 AM - 6:00 PM), Friday (8:00 AM - 5:30 PM), Saturday (8:00 AM - 3:00 PM). Please let me know the approximate time you would be available to help. 

Silent Auction Item Distribution: Sign up to help distribute the Silent Auction items to the winning bidders on Saturday from 3:00-5:00 PM. 

As an all-volunteer organization, Bouchercon can’t hold conventions without willing volunteers like you! Thanks in advance for pitching in to help with this great convention.