NEW YORK—Randy Gener was preparing for his traditional turkey recipe for Thanksgiving last year when the phone rang. It was a representative from Cornell University telling him that he had won the prestigious George Jean Nathan Award for Dramatic Criticism.

Every year, the heads of the English departments of Cornell, Princeton and Yale universities select an American writer "who has written the best piece of drama criticism during the theatrical year (July 1 to June 30), whether it is an article, an essay, treatise or book" to win this award.

Gener, a senior editor of American Theatre Magazine, was fl abbergasted. He is the fi rst Filipino-American winner of this award.

This is the 50th year of Nathan Award and it is considered the highest accolade in the United States for dramatic criticism. When George Jean Nathan provided for it in his will, he explained that it was his "object and desire to encourage and assist in developing the art of drama criticism and the stimulation of intelligent playgoing."

Gener called his mother to share the good news, and she was very happy. "I actually called my boyfriend, but he was busy. Then I called my mom, and she picked up. Then, I went out and bought my turkey," Gener said.

The following day, he ran around Central Park, which he usually does depending on his mood. "I was thinking, ‘My God, I won an award,’ and when I got back at the end of my route, I was like, ‘Oh, sh*t, what am I gonna do next? What am I going to write about next?’ and I had no answer so I ran one more time and followed the entire same route," Gener shared.

"It means a certain validation for the kind of writing that I do and a lovely recognition from the field," Gener said of his award, which comes with a $10,000 prize, making it the richest, as well as one of the most distinguished in the American theater.

Ellis Hanson, Chair of the Cornell English Department, will present the award to Gener on March 9 at the Kalayaan Hall (Freedom Hall) of the Philippine Center in New York City. Gener’s immediate family will be flying from California and Nevada to join him as they celebrate his victory.

Gener, who calls himself an editor who writes, joins an elite roster of individuals who have won this award since its inception in 1959. Among the previous awardees are Harvey Scott Mc-Millin, Jr., a professor of English at Cornell who died unexpectedly March 2007 and was posthumously given the Nathan award in 2007 for his book The Musical as Drama; Charles Isherwood and Walter Kerr, New York Times drama critics; Harold Clurman, and Stanley Kauffmann.