Howard Kelley Community Service Award

Every year, CVEF bestows the Howard Kelley Community Service Award upon a worthy resident of our community. The award honors the memory of Howard Kelley, one of our founders and the first Superintendent of Schools in District 13. Kelley recognized the substantial power of local citizens to make significant positive contributions by their service to Durham and Middlefield, as he himself did in his lifetime.

Howard Kelley

CVEF Honors 2025 Howard Kelley Awardee

Middlefield resident Betsy St John is the 2025 recipient of the Howard Kelley Community Service Award.  She was honored at the Coginchaug Valley Education Foundation’s (CVEF’s) annual reception, held on October 23 at Indian Springs Golf Course.

Nominated by Jen Huddleston, St John was recognized as a “pillar of our community.” She noted that the success of the Community Giving Garden, now in its seventh season, “is due much to the credit of Betsy’s leadership.” Huddleston also stressed how lucky those creating and working in the garden are to have Betsy be the manager of that effort, which provides “food, flowers…and a lovely community of friends.”

“This is quite an honor,” St John said, receiving the HK Award. She reported that the Giving Garden currently provides 12,000 pounds of produce for senior lunch programs and senior housing developments in Durham and Middlefield, all thanks to around 700 volunteer hours during the season. “It is a place of peace, friendship and sharing,” noted St John. In addition to her work at the Giving Garden, she is very active in the Mid Lea Garden Club, admitting “gardening is my thing.”

The Howard Kelley Community Service Award has been awarded annually since 2011.

From l-r, CVEF founder Merrill Adams; CVEF President Maggie Peterson; Howard Kelley award recipient Betsy St John; and Howard Kelley’s widow, Renee.

Betsy St. John, center – with members/volunteers at the Giving Garden.

 Previous winners of the Howard Kelley Community Service Award include: 

  • Kim Terrill, Durham Fair

  • Ralph Sayward, Town of Middlefield and Levi E. Coe Library

  • Lucy Meigs, Everyone Outside

  • Lainy Melvin, Durham Cooperative Nursery School

  • Jen Huddleston, the Giving Garden

  • Bruce Villwock, service to the Town of Middlefield and the Boy Scouts

  • Lorrie Martin, retired educator and facilitator of science-based enrichment programs in Durham and Middlefield

  • Mark Dionne and Heather Kannam, founders of Paperhouse Productions, a local children’s theater.

  • Bill Gleuck and Hugh McKutchen, volunteers for Trout in the Classroom.

  • Bernadette Basiel, key leader in the success of DMYFS.

  • Sarah Atwell, nurse, breast cancer survivor, and rejuvenator of the Durham Historical Society.

  • Robin Heath, outstanding Boy Scout leader.

  • Susan Michael, high school educator and environmental activist.

  • Christine Willett, elementary teacher and founder of After the Storm.

 NOMINATE SOMEONE YOU KNOW FOR THE HOWARD KELLEY AWARD

 CVEF is continually (year-round) looking for nominations for the Howard Kelley Community Service Award. We welcome your recommendations! We require a brief supporting statement, concentrating on the following information:

•  The name of the nominee, along with some brief biographical details.

•  The reason you are nominating this person.

•  A brief background on the project/service/volunteerism advocated and/or initiated by the nominee (could be multiple things).

•   How does your nominee reflect/represent CVEF’s mission of “lifelong learning?”

Please submit your nomination to Merrill Adams: merrilladams@comcast.net.