Browning awards presented in Ocala
Several individuals and agencies were honored during the event, which included an appearance by Smokey Bear.
Lina Sanders, 7, gets a high-five from Smokey Bear during the Robert E. Browning Jr. Awards ceremony at the Ocala Public Library Headquarters in Ocala, Fla. on Thursday, June 26, 2025. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2025.
It had to be a bittersweet moment on June 26 when George Risko Jr. accepted the 2024 Robert E. Browning Award at the Ocala Public Library Headquarters. He and his team had developed a program that reached more than 100,00 people across the state, inspired by his late wife, Misty.
According to the Florida Forest Service, for which Risko is a forestry program administrator, he and his team worked with the Marion County Public Library System to develop a program that used games, videos, live programs and magazine features to teach wildfire safety and boost children’s literacy.
“The campaign helped celebrate Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday and reached over 100,000 people across the state. The program was a personal mission for Risko, whose late wife, Misty, spent over two decades working in the Marion County Library System and was the inspiration behind this reading program,” the FSS noted in an online post.
“The award itself is all about relationships. That’s the most important thing. From a community perspective, every fire we prevent potentially saves lives and property,” Risko said via email after the event.
The Robert E. Browning Jr. Award is named in memory of southern wildland firefighter Robert E. Browning Jr., who lost his life battling a wildfire in Colorado in 1994.
During the event as the main library in Ocala, Senior Forest Ranger Richard Grajek accepted a Browning Award for the Waccasassa Forestry Center’s part in a multi-agency team that hosted the Rudy Wendelin Smokey Bear Art Exhibit at Silver Springs State Park, drawing 17,000 visitors in two weeks.
Partnering agencies and award honorees included the Ocala National Forest, Florida Park Service Silver Springs State Park, Marion County Fire Rescue, Marion County Parks & Recreation and the Ocala National Forest Alliance.
The combined efforts of the award winners were instrumental in preparing Marion County for what became an unusually early and active 2025 wildfire season, according to the FSS post.
And, as one might expect with such a celebration, the guest of honor was the iconic Smokey Bear, who was a big hit with attendees of all ages.
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