Truman “Bud” Waugh was so busy trying to figure out who would be Lawrence’s adult volunteer of the year Thursday that he was shocked when his name was announced.

Truman Bud Waugh center is congratulated by Marie Galluzzi-Potter, left, Thursday evening as he is announced as the 2005 Wallace Galluzzi Outstanding Volunteer Award winner during the United Way of Douglas County's annual meeting at the Kansas University Visitors Center. Among his many contributions, Waugh, a volunteer with Douglas County Emergency Management traveled with FEMA to six hurricane disaster sites in the past two years, contributing over 2000 hours of service.

“These people have done so much, and it just seems like there ought to be a way to share this,” Waugh said.

Waugh was honored with the Wallace Galluzzi Outstanding Volunteer Award for his service with the Federal Emergency Management Agency the last two years. He has traveled to six hurricane disaster sites and put in more than 2,000 volunteer hours with FEMA.

“It’s a real homey feeling to be able to talk with these people and try to help them out, because they don’t have anything,” Waugh said of disaster victims.

Waugh is a retired analyst with the Kansas Geological Survey and has volunteered for 30 years as an amateur radio operator to provide auxiliary communication services to the city and county during area disasters.

Free State High School sophomore Kate Falkenstien received the youth Galluzzi award during the ceremony at the Kansas University Visitor Center.

Falkenstien has volunteered for two years at the Ballard Community Center. She supervises children and helps families through the center’s food pantry.

The awards are named for Galluzzi, a former president of Haskell Indian Nations University. Thursday was the 20th annual installment of the awards, and it was also the annual meeting for the United Way of Douglas County.