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 2023 Howard Kelley Awardee

CVEF Founder Merrill Adams announced Middlefield resident Ralph Sayward as the recipient of this year’s Howard Kelley Community Service Award. Middlefield’s Director/Municipal Agent for the Elderly, Sue D’Orvelliers, who nominated Ralph, spoke to the crowd about his dedication to the town, in particular, the Levi Coe Library, where he has been a Board member since 1999. “He is awesome, and he just does it in his unassuming way,” Sue noted.

Accepting his gift, Ralph admitted it was “tough to find the words” to express his gratitude. He stressed, “I don’t do the work alone. Maybe I just motivate people and create a team effort. A lot of hands make things happen.” With him to help celebrate his accomplishments were his wife, children, grandchildren, friends and fellow library board members.

Ralph Sayward 2023 Howard Kelley Honoree

 Previous winners of the Howard Kelley Community Service Award include: 

  • 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.