At the ceremony to bestow the ACCA Award on the chorus of Newsies, Equity Second Vice President and Chair of the ACCA Rebecca Kim Jordan presented a second, surprise honor.
"Over the past decade there's been someone who has made an incredible contribution to the Chorus and ACCA through the Gypsy Robe," said Jordan. "They have attended almost every Gypsy Robe ceremony during that time, and recorded the event through their photography. They have made it possible for us to archive each ceremony, and to create the beautiful collages of the recipients from each season of musicals. They have unselfishly shared all of their photographs from each ceremony with Actors' Equity. The recipient of the ACCA Spirit Award is Walter McBride."
The inscription McBride's the award reads "Advisory Committee on Chorus Affairs presents the Spirit Award to Walter McBride in recognition of his generous spirit, extraordinary talent and dedication to preserving the Gypsy Robe Ceremony through the lens of his camera."
”This award is not given annually, but only when the ACCA feels there is someone who deserves to be so honored for significant contributions to the Chorus and to the ACCA. National Chorus Business Representative David Westphal made the presentation.
