The Arts Council of Calvert County presents two individuals each year who have contributed to the Arts in Calvert County with awards.
Pat Carpenter Arts Educator of the Year
The purpose of the Pat Carpenter Arts Educator of the Year Award is to recognize the achievement of a Calvert County educator who have demonstrated a love and a talent for art education. The monetary gift of the recognition may be used as the educator desires.
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Patricia Giardina Carpenter died suddenly on March 2, 2012. She was a graduate of Hoisington High School. Pat lived in Kansas, Texas, Colorado, Oregon California, and Virginia before settling in her beloved Chesapeake Beach, MD.
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Her career spanned politics, community service, and the arts. While living in Lake Oswego, OR in the 1970s and ʻ80s, she worked for U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield (R-OR), Governor Victor Atiyeh, and State Representative Ted Achilles. She served as chair of the Oregon Womenʼs Commission, was president of River Ridge Republican Women, and was president of the Dorchester Conference in 1987. Pat moved to Washington, DC in 1989, where she worked for the Republican National Committee, the Business Industry PAC, the Electronic Industries Alliance, and The WISH List (Women in the Senate and House).
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Moving to Chesapeake Beach in 2002, Pat’s contributions to the Chesapeake Beach area are legendary. She headed the Arts Council of Calvert County and was president of the Bay Business Group. She also served as chair of the Calvert County Commission for Women, as vice-chair of the Calvert Marine Museum, as a member of the Tourism Advisory Committee of Calvert County, was a board member of the Beach Trolley Association, chair of the Town of Chesapeake Beach Special Events Committee, and edited the Town of Chesapeake Beach newsletter. She also founded the Christmas on the Beaches holiday parade and was a member of the North Beach House and Garden Club. She owned and operated the event company, Celebrate!
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Pat was Executive Director of the Arts Council of Calvert County at the time of her death in 2012. After her sudden death, her friends and family established a donation to the Arts Council for the purpose of establishing a recognition award to be presented to a local educator.
The Arts Council of Calvert County obtains financial support through the generosity of the Maryland State Arts Council, Calvert County and donations from private citizens and businesses.
Previous Award Recipients:
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Lizabeth Beighley
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Derek Anderson
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Joshua Gresko
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Lori Pellock
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Rachel Sparks
Previous Award Recipients:
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WMJS Radio 92.7
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June King
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Joe Showalter
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Calvert Elks
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Shirley McCarthy
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JoAnn Kushner
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William R. Chambers
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Mariann Roberts
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Nancy Lehman
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Delphine Siggers-Williams
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Dr. Richard Smucker
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Tom Wisner
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Harriet S. Yaffe
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College of Southern Maryland
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Abigail Francisco
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Dr. Ramona Crowley
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Trish Weaver
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Pricilla Mooradian
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Linda Patton
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Dave Fegan
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Dr. Eugene M. Karol
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Dr. Daniel D. Curry
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Judge Marjorie L Claggett
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Community Bank of the Chesapeake
Mary D. Harrison Community Award
The purpose of the Mary D Harrison Award is to recognize an individual or organization that has contributed to the advancement of art in Calvert County.
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Mary D. Harrison was born and raised in Calvert County, Maryland. Mary Dolly Harrison lived on the family farm in Owings her entire life. She was educated in Calvert County Public Schools attending a one-room schoolhouse, Mt. Harmony Elementary. After graduating from Calvert High School in 1934, she attended business college. She was in the lumber business for 50 years and founded the Owings Lumber Company. Whereas lumber was her business, her church, community, county, and state were her life’s work. Harrison gave back to her community in every way that she could. In 1978, she was elected the first female Calvert County Commissioner. Re-elected in 1982, she served three years as Board President. She worked diligently for quality education, preservation of history and natural habitats, the best medical facilities, and cultural institutions. The Mary D. Harrison Cultural Arts Center was dedicated to her memory shortly after her death in 1987.
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Mary Harrison strongly believed that cultural arts were an important part of education. Not far from the site of her family farm stands today the Mary D. Harrison Cultural Arts Center. Neighboring the Northern High School and Northern Middle School campus, the center opened as part of the campus in 1985, allowing music, theatre, and art programs to expand and flourish. Renovations to the Mary D. Harrison Cultural Arts Center were finished in 2020.
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Candidates for the Mary D. Harrison Community Award are chosen by the Arts Council of Calvert County’s Board of Directors.