LOWER EASTERN SHORE HERITAGE AREA AWARD WINNERS
2005 Heritage Award Winners (awarded Jan 2006)
Heritage Interpreter of the Year
Bob Stevens, Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum
Heritage Interpretation
“From Bridge to Boardwalk”, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation
Heritage Tourism Program/Event
Ward Museum - Wildfowl Expo
Best New Heritage Initiative
Jesse Turner & Barbara Purnell - Revitalization of the Germantown School
Tee O’Connor Heritage Professional Award
Brice Stump
Legacy Award
Janice Marshall
Heritage Award
James Lane (Individual)
Westside Historical Society (organization)
2006 Annual Heritage Awards (awarded at Jan 2007)
2006 Heritage Interpreter Award
Patricia Johnson Taylor – Edward H. Nabb Research Center
2006 Heritage Interpretation Award
Alice West Jackson – Homage to Strawberry Workers Paintings
2006 Heritage Tourism Program/Event Award
Julia A. Purnell Museum “Fiber Fest”
2006 Best New Heritage Initiative Award
Worcester County Tourism “Berlin Audio Walking Tour”
2006 Tee O’Connor Heritage Professional Award
Sylvia Bradley
2006 Legacy Award
Earnest L. Jones, II and Earnest L. Jones, III
2006 Legacy Award
Wayne “Hon” Lawson
2006 Heritage Award
Azinith Williams
2006 Heritage Award
Pemberton Hall Foundation
2007 Annual Heritage Awards (awarded Jan 2008)
2007 Heritage Interpreter Award
James and Sudie Gatling- Sturgis One Room School, Museum & Heritage House
2007 Heritage Tourism Program/Event Award
Becky Payne - Blessing of the Combines
2007 Best New Heritage Initiative Award
Kathy Fisher - Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum
2007 Tee O’Connor Heritage Professional Award
Dr.Clara Small – Oral History, African American History
2007 Legacy Award
Granville Trimper – Trimper’s Amusement Park
2007 Heritage Award
Jerry Gerlitzki -Graphic Designer, Photographer, Historian
2008 h Annual Heritage Awards (awarded at Jan 2009)
2008 Heritage Interpreter Award
Mary Ada Marshall
State of MD Dessert - Smith Island Cake
2008 Heritage Interpretation Award
Delmarva Discovery Center
2008 Heritage Tourism Program/Event Award
Mardela Springs Christmas Heritage Tour
2008 Best New Heritage Initiative Award
Smith Island Cake – State of MD Cake
2008 Tee O’Conner Heritage Professional Award
Samuel H. Dyke
2008 Tee O’Conner Heritage Professional Award
Tom Patton
2008 Legacy Award
MeTompkin Bay Oyster Company The Todd Family
2008 Heritage Award
Newell & Tanya Quinton -John Quinton Foundation
2009 Annual Heritage Awards (awarded in Jan 2010)
2009 Heritage Winner
Lisa Challenger. For tireless work and devotion for Heritage Tourism in all three counties
for over 20 years, supporting projects too numerous to name, as well as a founding member
of the Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Council
2009 Heritage Winner
Chris Tyler. For her work in the City of Crisfield, that include heritage projects of the
J Millard Tawes Museum, Tawes Library, and development of highly successful Crisfield Elderhostel
2009 Heritage Interpreters of the Year
Sallie and David Ridgway - for their extensive work and research as Mr. & Mrs. Teackle as at the Teackle Mansion in Princess Anne
2009 Heritage Tourism Event/Program Award
The Maryland Coastal Bays, Carrie Samis and Delmarva Low Impact Tourism, Jim Rapp for the Coastal Steward Program
2009 Heritage Interpretation Award
Pemberton Hall Foundation - Reconstruction for the circa 1780 sawn log milk house and
dairy at Pemberton Hall: Frank Stroik, Bill Wilson, Dr.Ed Otter
2009 Heritage Event Award Winner
Harbor Day at the Docks, the partnership of Worcester County Tourism, Lisa Challenger, the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce- Melanie Pursel, Lisa Dennis the Ocean City Hotel Motel Restaurant Association, Ruth Waters, OC Chamber President John Gerig.
2009 Tee O'Conner Professional Award
Linda Duyer - Extensive work researching African American History on the Lower Eastern Shore
2009 Legacy Award Winners
The Zionaires for their dedicated musical talents for spiritual purposes for the past 56 years.
Kevin Phillips Taylor, Gregory Handy, Dennis Brady Sr, O. Wendall Brooks, Jasper Handy Jr
2010 Annual Heritage Awards (awarded in Jan 2011)
2010 Heritage Award
Charlie Petrocci
2010 Heritage Tourism Program/Event Award
Fire Fest - Urban Salisbury
2010 Heritage Tourism Program/Event Award
Peach Festival Calvin B. Taylor House Museum
2010 Best New Heritage Initiative Award
Arts & Times - Worcester Co. Tourism/Moon Shell Productions
2010 Heritage Interpretation Award
“Sources of Black Community: Family &Faith” Edward H. Nabb ResearchCenter
2010 Heritage Interpreter Award
Vicki Barrett - Somerset Co Historical Society
2010 Tee O’Conner Heritage Professional Award
Aaron Levinthal - Archaeological Preservation
2010 Legacy Award
Captain Arthur Daniels
2011 Annual Heritage Awards (awarded in Jan 2012)
2011 Heritage Award
Friends of Poplar Hill Mansion
2011 Heritage Tourism Program/Event Award
Annual Skipjack Race & Festival - Deal Island Chance Lion’s Club
2011 Best New Heritage Initiative Award
“Pass It On” Dr. Cindy Byrd - Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art
2011 Heritage Interpretation Award
“An Angler’s Guide” Worcester Co Tourism
2011 Heritage Interpreter Award
Austin Cox
2011 Tee O’Conner Heritage Professional Award
Elaine Eff
2011 Tee O’Conner Heritage Professional Award
Ranger Christopher Seymour
2011 Legacy Award
Harry Jackson - Carver
2012 Annual Heritage Awards (awarded in Jan 2013)
2012 Heritage Award:
Germantown School Community Heritage Center
2012 Best Heritage Tourism Program/Event:
Winter Watermen’s Festival - Delmarva Discovery Center
2012 Best New Heritage Initiative:
Watermen’s Heritage Tourism Training Program- Coastal Heritage Alliance
2012 Heritage Interpretation:
Smith Island Cultural Alliance
2012 Legacy Award:
James & Sudie Gatling –Sturgis One Room School ou
2012 Special Living Legacy Award:
Mrs. Lorraine Henry - Henry’s Beach
2013 Annual Heritage Awards (awarded in Jan 2014)
2013 Tee O’Connor Professional Award
Gordon Katz – research of Ocean City
Heritage Interpreter of the Year
Sean O’Rourke – War of 1812 research and ceremony of flag placement in Somerset Co
Legacy Award
Jack Willing - Skipjack Races
Best New Heritage Initiative
Mindie Burgoyne – Chesapeake Ghost Walks
Best Heritage Tourism/Program Event
Celtic Festival
2014 Annual Heritage Awards (awarded in April 2015)
The Heritage Award Gale Yerges Somerset Co George and Suzanne Hurley Worcester co
Legacy Award Captain Herald “Stoney” Whitelock Somerset Co
Best Heritage Interpretation Peter Stucki Somerset Co
Best Heritage Tourism Program/Event Mt Hermon Plow Days – Rev Oren Purdue Wicomico Co
Tee O’Connor Professional Award Jim and Charlotte Sharf Somerset Co
Best New Heritage Initiative Berlin Heritage Festival – Pat Diniar Worcester Co
Heritage Interpreter of the Year Thomas Wimbrow Worcester Co
Additional Special Awards
Award for Exemplary Merit Delegate Norman Conway
Award for Exemplary Service Jay Parker – retiring as Executive Director from LESHC
2015 Annual Heritage Awards (awarded in May 2016)
The Heritage Award
Lora Bottinelli
Lifetime Interpreter
William Wilson
Best Heritage Tourism Program
Accohannock Indian Tribe - Indian Water Trails
Best New Heritage Initiative
Somerset Co Historical Society
Time Travel to Teackletonia Camp
Tee O’Connor Professional Award
James Lane
Best Heritage Interpretation
Worcester Co Tourism - Cape to Cape Interpretive Guide
2016 Annual Heritage Awards (awarded in May 2017)
The Heritage Award
Paul Touart
Best Heritage Tourism Program
350th Anniversary of Somerset County
Julie Widdowson, Director of Somerset Co Tourism, Clint Sterling, Dan Powell, Suzanne Tawes Smith
Best New Heritage Initiative
Delmarva Discovery Center
River Otter Exhibit
Tee O’Connor Professional Award
Dr. Ray Thompson
Heritage Interpreter of the Year
Walt McCabe