For the outstanding service that Gena Philibert-Ortega has given to the Utah Genealogical Association we are please to recognize her with UGA's Award of Merit.
UGA presents the Award of Merit to Gena for her many years serving as the editor of UGA’s Crossroads magazine. She first joined the Crossroads committee in April 2011 and, within a few months, became Crossroads editor for the June issue. Continuing through the Summer 2022 issue, she led as the editor for forty-four issues. Over that time, Crossroads evolved and included themed issues, such as issues focusing on the Civil War, food, and youth, added papers from the annual Colloquium, and began the section “Crossroads for Kids.” Gena’s favorite thing about being an editor was the ability to give new writers the opportunity to be published. Her writers spanned from teenagers to retirees looking to start a new career in genealogy. In addition, she has served on the UGA Board and has taught and coordinated several courses for SLIG. Gena's overall contributions to Crossroads and UGA in general have been immeasurable.
Outside of her service with UGA, Gena is an author, researcher, and instructor focusing on genealogy, social history, and women’s history. She holds two Master’s degrees: in interdisciplinary studies (psychology and women’s study) and in religion. Her published works include two books, numerous articles published in print and online, and six editions of the Tracing Your Ancestors series from Moorshead Publishing. Her writings can be found on her blogs: Gena’s Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera, as well as on the GenealogyBank and Legacy Webinars blogs. She has presented to diverse groups worldwide, including through the Legacy Family Tree Webinar series. Her current research includes women’s repatriation and citizenship in the twentieth century, foodways and community in fundraising cookbooks, and women’s material culture.
