PICPA Member Robert Margolis Wins National Award.

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 1999--

The Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants (PICPA) is pleased to announce that member Robert Margolis has been awarded the 1999 national Public Service Award by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA).

Nominated for the award based on his selection as the PICPA's 1998 Distinguished Public Service Award winner, Margolis is the first CPA from Pennsylvania to receive this national recognition. He was honored at the AICPA Spring Council Meeting, held in Washington, D.C. on Monday, May 3.

The AICPA's national award is given to the CPA who has best demonstrated outstanding public service activities from among a select field of candidates, each of whom has been singled out in his/her respective state. The AICPA Awards Committee reviews the applications of each of the state winners and selects a handful of finalists who are, in turn, reviewed by a panel of three judges drawn from public life.

"It is very gratifying to receive this award, but the real gratification comes from doing the work I've done over the past 45 years," Margolis said from his Lehigh Valley office this week. "The people who I, along with others, have been able to help with their various problems and difficulties...that is the greatest satisfaction you can get from doing this kind of work."

Margolis distinguished himself as a CPA who has truly made a difference through his active participation in public service activities over the past four decades. Through his volunteer and philanthropic efforts, he has reflected credit upon the CPA profession.

The impact of Margolis' efforts has been far reaching. He helped found the Camphill Foundation in 1976. Camphill is a worldwide movement, creating community environments in which children and adults with a variety of developmental disabilities are encouraged to develop and realize their potential. There are currently seven Camphill communities in North America.

Margolis has been active with many community organizations, such as the Moravian Academy, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh Associates for Retarded Citizens, the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley and the Lehigh Valley Helping Hand Foundation. His impressive list of public service accomplishments also includes the Leader Nursing Facility, the Kemerer Museum of Decorative Arts and the Sun Inn Preservation Association.

Margolis, a life member of the PICPA, is a partner with the firm Harry Margolis & Company, CPAs in Bethlehem, PA.

The PICPA is an active association of approximately 19,000 CPAs working together to improve the accounting profession and serve the public interest. Membership includes practitioners in public accounting, business, government and education.