Professional Award of Merit Recipients
| Award Recipient | Date | Location |
| Frank Bellrose | February 8, 1979 | Macomb (Ad Hoc Award) |
| W. D. Klimstra | March 22, 1984 | Carbondale |
| Glen Sanderson | March 14, 1985 | Chicago |
| Chuck Nixon | March 5, 1997 | Collinsville |
| John Roseberry | March 5, 1998 | Springfield |
| Bill Anderson | March 4, 1999 | Allerton Park |
| Jack Ellis | December 7, 1999 | Chicago (Midwest) |
| Bob Montgomery | March 8, 2001 | Peoria |
| Larry David | March 3, 2004 | Collinsville |
| George Hubert, Jr. | March 1, 2005 | Morton |
| Stephen P. Havera | March 14, 2007 | Moline |
| Stan Etter | March 5, 2008 | East Peoria |
| Ed Heske | December 8, 2009 | Springfield (Midwest) |
| Joyce Hoffman | April 15, 2013 | East Peoria |
| Michelle Horath | April 14, 2014 | Springfield |
| Gary Potts | April 22, 2018 | Champaign |
| Aaron Yetter | April 17, 2023 | Champaign |