Morris Hershson, President of RIPA from 1948-1983, was for three decades the leading spokesman and trusted counselor of the steel drum reconditioning industry. He is remembered with deep appreciation and respect for his guidance, wisdom, and humor. Created in 1986, the Morris Hershson Award is presented to an individual for distinguished and long-standing service to the container reconditioning industry.
- 1986 Pamela Terry
- 1987 Philip A. Pearlman
- 1988 Max Rubin
- 1989 Sidney Blatt
- 1990 J. Michael Murphy
- 1991 Vincent J. Buonanno
- 1992 Lawrence Bierlein
- 1993 Art Wasserman
- 1994 Bernard Smith
- 1996 Eliot H. Bank
- 1997 Charles Borton
- 1998 Darryl Bartolotti
- 1999 Nelson Neuman
- 2000 Beverly Moore
- 2001 Elliot Pearlman
- 2002 David E. Wingard
- 2004 William R. Shocklee
- 2007 Mischa Dworsky
- 2008 Paul Rankin
- 2009 Richard Rubin
- 2011 Peter DeWitt
- 2013 Howard Skolnik
- 2016 Calvin Lee
- 2017 Mike Porreca
- 2018 Barry Wingard