Debbie Dibble, FAPR, RDR, CRR, CRC, a freelance court reporter and broadcast captioner from Salt Lake City, Utah, was presented with the 2024 Jim Bouley Family Lifetime Award for Altruism by the National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF), the philanthropic arm of the National Court Reporters Association.
The announcement was made at a special awards luncheon at the 2024 NCRA Conference & Expo held Aug. 1-3 in Louisville, Ky. The Jim Bouley Family Lifetime Award for Altruism was created in 2021 when the eight Bouley family children chose to donate to NCRF in recognition of their father who was an exemplary role model as a court reporter, instructor, and philanthropist. The award is given to a court reporter or captioner with more than 25 years of experience who has given back to the profession and to the community with no expectation of reward.
Dibble is the third recipient of the Jim Bouley Family Lifetime Award for Altruism.
Dibble graduated from the Intermountain College of Court Reporting in Murray, Utah, in 1988 and began her career as a freelance court reporter with DepomaxMerit Litigation Services where she continues to work today. She has also worked as a freelance court reporter or captioner for the state of Utah, the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints, the Sanderson Community Center for the Deaf, Westminster College, and Captions West. She also captioned the National Democratic Committee Executive Board meeting in 2012 and the 2016 National Republican Convention Caucus. Dibble is a person of principle; when she was asked to provide captioning services for a client who is deaf on a Sunday afternoon in preparation for a Monday deposition, she provided complimentary services so as not to break a personal commitment to not work on Sundays.
At the national level, Dibble has served on a number of committees and in numerous leadership positions including as a National Congress of State Associations delegate, as well as on the TRAIN, PAC, STRONG, COPE and Constitution & Bylaws Committees.
As NCRA President, Dibble was instrumental in the development and launch of the Career Launcher program housed under the National Court Reporters Foundation. The 10-module program is designed to serve as a bridge or provide tips of the trade for new or seasoned professionals, exposing them to myriad real-life situations.
At the state level, Dibble is a certified court reporter in the states of Utah, California, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. She served on the Board for the Utah Court Reporters Association (UCRA) and provided testimony in state legislative hearings regarding court reporting. She is also a frequent organizer and participant in the Veterans History Project, which captures and transcribes the stories of U.S. military veterans and are then given to the Library of Congress for archiving.
She is also the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award from UCRA and the American Legion.
Dibble’s generosity extends beyond the profession and into the community and around the globe. From Cub Scouts to church community to organizing summer camps and teaching piano lessons, she has stepped up wherever she could. She said she is particularly proud of coordinating volunteers throughout her local school system to sew book bags and fill them with school supplies for all the children in the village of Nevucle in La Abundancia, Asunción, Paraguay. When her family hand-delivered the bags, she learned that only the chief of the village spoke Spanish. The village children played football with her own and taught her kids to play jacks (with rocks).
“Few people can match Debbie’s record of volunteerism: Board service; offering her tech expertise; writing articles for the JCR; representing our profession at outside events and conventions; Career Launcher; and her service to STRONG,” wrote Elizabeth Harvey, FAPR, RPR, a freelance court reporter from Seattle, Wash., one of several of her colleagues who nominated her for the award.
Quoting the Dalai Lama, which made her think of Dibble immediately, Harvey added: “The practice of altruism is the authentic way to live as a human being, and it is not just for religious people. As human beings, our purpose is to live meaning lives, to develop a warm heart. There is meaning in being everyone’s friend. The real source of peace amongst our families, friends, and neighbors is love and compassion.”
“The wide scope of her contributions and efforts to selflessly elevate the industry, as well as her investments in individual reporters, is self-evident to everyone in a position to witness it,” wrote Merilee. S. Johnson, RDR, CRR, CRC, a freelance court reporter and captioner from Eden, Minn.
Michael Bouley, a freelancer from Henderson, Nev., introduced Dibble at the awards luncheon. “Because life is a challenge,” he said, “it tests us. We push ourselves to grow. And sometimes, we get in a jam, and we need a hand. We need a guide or an angel to help us out.
“Maybe with directions in a strange place. Maybe with a few bucks when things are tight. Maybe with an encouraging word when we’re down, or career or personal advice. We help each other out, because we’re all in this together, and our stories are still being written.
“Do you remember who reached down when you needed a hand up? Our guides and angels show up in the moment, and we don’t always get to thank them. But today we do.
“You made nominations. Your nominations told of acts of kindness done with no expectation of reward, no strings attached. You shared stories about the guides and angels among us who have given from their heart. And today we recognize a certain someone who has for decades gone joyfully above and beyond the call of any duty, and deep into the realm of love.”
Dibble, at a loss for words during the 2024 Conference & Expo, later wrote of her gratitude: “It has been such a struggle to find words to express my deep appreciation. This unimaginable honor was a complete surprise. It is still surreal! A special thank you to my Career Launcher teammates who took this initiative and felt inspired to nominate me. To all of my precious colleagues who wrote letters full of such thoughtful and kind support: I can’t imagine that I will ever consider myself worthy of such accolades, but whenever I need convincing that my efforts have value, I will read [your] letters with love and gratitude for the amazing friendships that I am blessed with.
“For whatever reason my dear professional colleagues have felt me worthy of such an honor, thank you! It is one of the most beautiful awards I have ever seen, and I will feel the love in my soul every time I look at this beautiful glass heart,” she concluded. “I will treasure it always!”
For information about The Jim Bouley Family Lifetime Award for Altruism, contact NCRF Manager Jill Parker Landsman at jlandsman@ncra.org.
