The Barton A. Thomas Memorial Award is presented to the person whose presentation (oral or poster) is chosen by a panel of judges to be the most outstanding of the Symposium. The award is a memorial made possible by Virginia Thomas and is sponsored by the University of Kentucky Center for Applied Energy Research and the journal FUEL. It honors the memory of Barton A. Thomas, an innovative and pioneering leader in the field of coal combustion by-product utilization. The recipient receives an award plaque and $500. The 1995 recipient was Ronald L. Hamric of the Upshur Properties, Inc.