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Matthew Ihrig of Florissant Wins Missouri Manual Photo Contest
Matthew Ihrig, of Florissant, with Secretary of State Robin Carnahan.
Secretary of State Robin Carnahan has announced that two St. Louis-area residents were winners of the 2009 Official Manual Photo Contest. Matthew Ihrig of Florissant won first place in the “Forces of Nature” category, and Maria Crusius of St. Louis won honorable mention in the “Time to Play” category.
The photos are featured in the 2009-2010 Official Manual of the State of Missouri (the “Blue Book”).
“We received hundreds of great photos from people all across Missouri, and these are two of only 12 winners,” Carnahan said.
“I’m pleased to be able to make these photos a part of our state’s history and publish them in the Blue Book.”
Ihrig took his photograph in September 2005 after his wife heard about the contest on the news. Ihrig and members of his family attended the unveiling of the Blue Book Tuesday at the Missouri State Capitol, and he was presented with a copy of the photograph by Secretary Carnahan.
“The storm was rolling in slowly and was very active with multiple lightning strikes. It was a unique situation and I was fortunate to be in a good position to capture it,” Ihrig said. “This photograph shows that the forces involved with the storms we see in Missouri can be both devastating and awe inspiring.”
The theme of this year’s photo contest was “Missouri in Motion,” which represents the many ways Missouri and its people move from place to place and time to time.
The Blue Book, which is published by the Secretary State every two years, is the definitive source of information about Missouri state government. It includes an overview of state government services and contact information for government officials and departments.
