News

Cobb Arts Board Member Honored

Tyllmann Wald Receives National Log Cabin Grass Roots Leadership Award

September 7, 1999

(ATLANTA, GA) – Cobb County Arts Board member Tyllmann H. Wald was honored on Sunday, August 29th with the "Grass Roots Leadership" award from the national Log Cabin Republicans, a conservative gay and lesbian organization. The award is given to Log Cabin members who show their dedication to working within the Republican party at the local level.

Tyllmann received the award for his work with the Arts Board and with Cobb County Commissioner Sam Olens' 1998 election campaign. Commissioner Olens successfully ran against former commissioner Gordon Wysong, who authored the controversial "anti-gay resolution" in 1993 that eventually cost Cobb County any participation in the 1996 International Olympic Games.

When making the award, Rich Tafel, Log Cabin executive director said, "Tyllmann shows us that by working within the Republican party at the local level -- rather than running away as others have done -- we can further the cause of individual liberty, responsibility, and the basic truths of conservatism that benefit both the gay community and America as a whole."

In his acceptance speech, Tyllmann said, "I am proud to accept this Log Cabin Grass Roots Leadership Award, which recognizes the positive impact that individuals can have in their community promoting inclusiveness and dialogue."

Mr. Wald received the award in New York while attending the annual Log Cabin leadership conference "Liberty for All" held August 24th through 26th. Nearly 300 local, state and national leaders in the Log Cabin movement traveled to the conference where they attended political training sessions and heard from prominent gay and lesbian leaders from across the political spectrum.

About Tyllmann H. Wald:

Cobb County Commissioner Sam Olens, a Republican, named Mr. Wald to the Arts Board in February of this year. The Cobb County Arts Board is a division of the county's Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs office.

Tyllmann H. Wald has been a member of Georgia Log Cabin Republicans for the past two years, and was elected as a vice president for 1999. He graduated from Atlanta's Northside High School in 1982 and has lived in the Atlanta area for most of his life. He earned a Bachelor's degree in history and political science from the University of Georgia and a Master's degree in political science from Ohio State University.

In addition to his duties with Log Cabin Republicans and the Cobb Arts Board, Mr. Wald is an active member of the gay Episcopalian group Integrity, the Friends of Goethe, and serves on the Cobb County Republican Committee. He is also a founding member of Gays and Lesbians for Individual Liberty (GLIL), a Washington, D.C. based organization created to promote libertarian and free market principles within the gay community.