Islip Terrace resident Bob Muller recently received the US Lighthouse Society’s 2005 President’s Award "for his outstanding contributions to lighthouse preservation." The award was given at a dinner at the Islandia Marriott on May 13.

Each year, the Society presents the award to someone in the nation whose efforts have made a difference in American historic lighthouse preservation. In presenting the 2005 award, US Lighthouse Society President Wayne Wheeler noted Muller’s 2004 book, Long Island’s Lighthouses: Past and Present, which Wheeler has called "a major work," in his leadership as founding president of the Society’s Long Island Chapter and his efforts toward the restoration of the Cedar Island Lighthouse.

According to Muller, the award was a surprise: "Wayne never gave a hint that I was getting an award. I was left speechless, which doesn’t happen too often."

The award was given on the eve of the inaugural Long Island Lighthouse Challenge, an event for which Muller was the coordinator. Muller also currently serves as the president of the East Islip Historical Society, and is the founder of the LongIslandLighthouses.com website.