Catherine Braunstein; Happy Booker Award recipient 2021; image submitted

KNOXVILLE - At the Knoxville Opera’s Annual Meeting held at the Crowne Plaza on June 22, Julia Mullaney, Knoxville Guild President announced that Catherine Braunstein is this year’s recipient of the Happy Booker Award. This award is being made posthumously, in recognition of all the many years of service, dedication, and love Catherine demonstrated through her service to Knoxville Opera and the Knoxville Opera Guild.

Dr. Catherine Elise Braunstein, age 81, passed away on April 2, 2021. She was born in Avignon, France but chose a life in East Tennessee after meeting her late husband, Dr. Jerry Braunstein. Here she served as a researcher in the Chemical and Analytical Sciences Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory for over 20 years.

“The Knoxville Opera Guild knew Catherine, as she was described in her obituary, ‘an indefatigable woman with panache,’” said Mullaney at the Annual Meeting. Mullaney continued, “She answered every call for help whether it was stuffing envelopes, getting auction items, or anything else the Guild or Opera needed. She also was key in organizing aspects of the Metropolitan Opera Council Auditions. She never asked for recognition, and somehow was never awarded the Happy Booker Award previously. Thus, not only do we offer this award to her memory, but also to all the unsung heroes that make the Guild the joyous community we all love.”

The Happy Booker Award is presented annually by the President of the Opera Guild to recognize a member of the Guild who has exhibited extraordinary service in the furtherance of the goals of the Guild.

A silver Champagne bucket engraved with all the recipients’ names is given to the honoree to keep until the next year’s award winner is announced. Last year’s recipient was past Guild Board President and incoming Chair of the Knoxville Opera board, Eden McNabb Bishop.

The Knoxville Opera Guild is a volunteer organization created in 1992 to support Knoxville Opera and provide a means of fellowship and networking for opera lovers through cast parties, fund-raising events, and educational activities. The Guild makes opera accessible to an increasingly diverse audience and enhances the quality of life in our community.

The award was established in 1998 when Laura Mansfield proposed, and the Board of Directors of the East Tennessee Opera Guild approved, the establishment of the Happy Booker Volunteer Spirit Award to recognize outstanding work in support of Knoxville Opera. This award pays tribute to Happy Booker, a major force in the founding of Knoxville Opera who remained a vital and involved volunteer until her death in 2002. The recipients to date are:

Mark Hill – 1998
Jacqueline Ball – 1999
Joanne Mounger – 2000
Ann Exum – 2001
Theresa Stone – 2002
Frankie Hulett – 2003
Susana Esrequis – 2004
Audrey Duncan – 2005
Robert Gibson – 2006
Jim Stiegler – 2007
Margaret Bull – 2008
John Butler – 2009
Phyllis Driver – 2010
Kathy Krohmer – 2011
Audrey Duncan – 2012
Susana Esrequis – 2013
Kimberly Henry – 2014
L. Caesar Stair, III – 2015
G. Mark Cramolini – 2016
Evelyn Hopp - 2017
Robin Gold - 2018
Eden McNabb Bishop - 2019
Trey Coleman – 2020
Dr. Catherine Elise Braunstein - 2021