Maryann Hartman Awards Event at UMaine Nov. 6
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
ORONO — For the 22nd consecutive year the University of Maine Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program will honor three distinguished Maine women with Maryann Hartman Awards. Named for the late Dr. Maryann Hartman, UMaine associate professor of Speech Communication, distinguished educator, feminist and scholar, the awards are given to recognize Maine women whose achievements in the arts, politics, business, education, healthcare and community service provide inspiration for women.
The Tuesday, Nov. 6 event will honor those from across the state who have improved women’s lives by both words and deeds. The awards program is scheduled for 5-7:30 p.m. at Buchanan Alumni House. Those being honored are:
Bangor Daily News arts journalist Alicia Anstead of Castine, who will be recognized for her work reporting on the arts around Maine and beyond.
“Like Maryann Hartman, Alicia inspires and teaches by example,” wrote the person who nominated Anstead for the award. “Strong, determined, and fearless, she is never satisfied with ‘good enough’ but instead pursues her story to the last possible interview and polishes her writing until it shines.”
Anstead has been recognized for journalism excellence, having received an inaugural (2007-2008) Nieman Fellowship in Arts and Culture Reporting from Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation for Journalism. The Nieman is the world’s oldest midcareer journalism fellowship, and Anstead is the first Bangor Daily News reporter to receive one. During her ten-month fellowship in Cambridge, Mass. Anstead is researching the economy and business of the arts.
Sally Jacobs of Orono has contributed to land preservation in Maine for over 30 years. Her commitment to saving open spaces for physical recreation and spiritual nourishment serves as a model both locally and nationally, Schonberger says. Sally conceived and implemented the Orono Bicycle Trail for biking, hiking, and skiing from the University of Maine to Old Town. Her pivotal role in establishing the Orono Land Trust in 1986 led to educating, motivating and assisting other communities in developing their recreational and environmental resources. Recently she served as the catalyst for creating the Sunrise Trail, a recreational route on an unused rail line between Ellsworth and Calais. As a key founder and organizer of the Caribou Bog-Penjajawoc Corridor Project, she has worked for protecting open space and wildlife habitat from Bangor to Alton. Jacobs’ friends and colleagues say she is known for working constructively and harmoniously with local and state officials in rallying other people to volunteer their time to important community issues.
Harriet H. Price of Portland has a long history of involvement in peace and social justice issues. She was an active Vietnam War protester, serving as the coordinator for the Hancock County People for Peace In Vietnam Now. She was also chosen as one of two Maine delegates who went to a meeting with North Vietnamese and American leaders in Paris in 1971 to negotiate peace. More recently, she has been outspoken about healthcare issues, has served as an advocate for Native Americans and has led the effort to recover the history of Maine’s Underground Railroad. “Maine’s Visible Black History: The First Chronicle of Its People,” which Price, writing as H.H. Price, co-authored with Gerald E. Talbot and published in 2006, covers some 400 years of formerly unknown or unacknowledged history. She is a member of the Maine Underground Railroad Association and lives in Portland where she continues her activism and writing.
For the seventh year, the UMaine programs will also recognize a young woman with the Young Women’s Social Justice Award. This year’s award will go to Hannah Hudson from Columbia Falls.
“Hannah has always taken action on the issues that are important to her,” says associate director Mazie Hough. “Since middle school, she has worked with Team YCARE to spread awareness of autism. Through this organization, she has spoken to several groups about the topic and has organized fundraisers to raise money for research. Hudson volunteers for the after-school EDGE program where she has been a leader and a mentor to children in fourth through eighth grade. She also volunteers at a local center which serves the migrant workers who come to pick blueberries in the summer. In 2006, as a part of the Maine Youth Summit, she went to Honduras with a group to rehabilitate dorm rooms and transport medical help to those in need.
The award ceremony is free and open to the public. Those interested in attending are encouraged to register with us so that organizers may plan for the seating and light refreshments after the ceremony. For more information or to register please contact Angela Hart, at 581-1228 (angela.hart@umit.maine.edu).