The annual Vision Award, which honors a University of South Alabama faculty member, a USA student or a member of the community for visionary work focusing on positive aspects of aging, topped the awards handed out Thursday evening by USA’s Programs in Gerontology and Sigma Phi Omega, the national gerontology honors society.

Boomer Bear, the new team mascot of the Mobile Bay Bears, made his first public appearance to accept the Vision Award on behalf of his creator, Bay Bears co-owner and chief operating officer Bill Shanahan.

Boomer Bear is the result of Shanahan’s vision to capture the vitality of the aging Baby Boomer generation. The new Bay Bears addition represents his cohorts as being lively, active and engaged in life. Baby Boomers represent the largest group of Americans, which are people who were born between 1946 and 1964. The oldest members of that group turned 60 years old last year.