The Howard Dean Award was first presented in 2001 and is awarded annually to an Alpine Baldy Devo Team athlete. This is given to an athlete that shows dedication, is a great teammate, works hard, and shows great sportsmanship.

Howard Dean was a passionate supporter of SVSEF, on the Board of Directors and volunteered every weekend as a coach of the Alpine Devo team – also known as the “Farm” team.

As owner of Dean Tire south of Ketchum where the hospital is now, he maintained all of the fleet vans and tires. His wife, Peggy (avid and fabulous skier in her own right) is the daughter of Charley Proctor, whose expertise and advocacy were crucial in the development and installation of the first ski chairlift, forever changing the sport of skiing and making Sun Valley the birthplace of this innovative lift system. Charley was a member of the the 1928 Olympic Team and inducted into the USSS Hall of Fame in 1959.

Son, Ryan and grandson, Shaw, are still involved as a coaches for the SVSEF Alpine Jr Home Team and U14 IMD Team respectively.

Award recipients’ names are engraved on the Howard Dean Award plaque which is displayed in the SVSEF Training Center at Warm Springs.