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Mazur, who holds a PhD in Social Policy Analysis from the Heller School at Brandeis University, is one of the most successful Himalayan mountain climbers and expedition leaders; 12 Everest expeditions, 3 times K2, 3 times Gasherbrum, 2 times Broad Peak, 4 times Lhotse, 7 times Ama Dablam, 6 times Baruntse, 25 times Everest Base Camp. But, as Sicroff noted in explaining Mazur's selection, he is being accorded the Sir Edmund Hillary Mountain Legacy Medal in recognition of his many years of work in numerous projects on behalf of mountain communities in Nepal and Central Asia. For example, one project that the SEHMLM Selection Committee deemed particularly meritorious is the rehabilitation of Devoche Convent, in the Khumbu. (See Mount Everest Foundation for Sustainable Development in Nepal/Tibet.)This nunnery had long languished in the shadow of the world-famous Tengboche Monastery, and Mazur's work has not only alleviated the hardships of life at Devoche but also served as a reminder that gender equity issues persist even in the relatively enlightened Sherpa society. At the other end of the development spectrum, Dan has been developing waste-management technology to help clean up the Everest area.

Just as impactful as the projects undertaken at the personal initiative of Dr. Mazur is his recruitment and mentorship of other humanitarians to engage in their own projects; most of these were drawn into the work as a result of participation in expeditions organized by Dan's parallel enterprises, SummitClimb and SummitTrek.

In announcing Dr. Mazur's selection, Sicroff emphasizes the classic mountaineering values that Mazur has adhered to in his personal and commercial recreational climbs: respect for the mountains and for the communities that they sustain; comradeship, and absolute commitment to the safety and survival of all climbers, whether members and staff of his own team or participants in other expeditions; devotion to the conviction that adventure is essential to the physical, moral and spiritual welfare of all human beings, of all societies, and of the human species in general. In these respects, Dr. Mazur is a worthy steward of the legacy of Sir Edmund Hillary.