The "Bunky"
The ”Bunky" is the bust awarded by the Jellinek Memorial Foundation. In 1965, two years after E. M. Jellinek’s passing, several world organizations in the alcohol field established the E. M. Jellinek Memorial Fund.
The first meeting of the Board of Directors was held on June 2, 1964 in New York City. At this meeting, Mark Keller was elected President and R. Brinkley Smithers Vice President and Treasurer. In honoring Jellinek, the fund created the E. M. Jellinek Memorial Award, a prize “to be awarded periodically to promising scientists and scholars who were making outstanding contributions to the advancement of knowledge and understanding of alcoholism,” explains Mark Keller in his speech presenting the award to Bill Wilson posthumously in 1972. Along with a cash prize, each recipient, chosen by a selection committee, would receive a “Bunky."
The first "Bunky" was created in plaster and painted to resemble bronze in order to be ready for the awards presentation. In 1968, the bronze casting cost $165 and was paid for by the Christopher P. Smithers Foundation. All subsequent Bunkys would be provided by the Jellinek Memorial Fund.
According to the same 1972 speech given by Keller, the Bunky was originally created by Marjorie Reed / Marjorie Post and is a casting of the head of E. M. Jellinek.
Interestingly, the artist receives no further mention in any Jellinek-related archival material held by CAS Library. Additionally, an online search turned up no information about a sculptor named Marjorie Reed, Marjorie Post or Marjorie Reed Post. The sculptor, like many other associations with Jellinek, remains a mystery.
The ”Bunky" awarded to Mark Keller is now displayed in the CAS Conference Room.
The E. M. Jellinek Memorial Fund continues to award Bunkys. Interest garnered from a capital fund is used to provide an award to “a scientist who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of knowledge in the alcohol/alcoholism field” (Jellinek Memorial Foundation). The Memorial Fund’s Board of Directors designates a specific area of research for the award and appoints an expert selection committee to determine a winner. Past winners have been chosen from all over the world. Awardees are still given a bust of E. M. Jellinek in addition to $5000 CDN.
Past recipients of the award include Kettil Bruun, Robert Popham, Harold Kalant, Bill W, Nancy K. Mello, Jack H. Mendelson, J. Griffith Edwards, R. Brinkley Smithers, Robin Room, H. David Archibald, G. Alan Marlatt, Jorge Mardones, Max Glatt, Kaye Middleton Fillmore, Thomas F. Babor, and Marc A. Schuckit.