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Four prominent Maine women were honored by ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ today at the Deborah Morton Society’s 53rd Annual Convocation and Awards Ceremony: Brenda C. Garrand, Chief Executive Officer, Garrand; Kathleen A. Mazzuchelli, former Superintendent of Parks and Recreation for the City of Caribou; Barbara A. Rice McDade, Director of the Bangor Public Library; and Rachel Talbot Ross, civil rights leader and President of the NAACP, Portland branch.
 
The Deborah Morton Award was named in memory of Deborah Morton of Round Pond, Maine, valedictorian of the 1879 class and a longtime faculty member of Westbrook Seminary, the forerunner of Westbrook College which merged with the ³Ô¹Ï±¬ÁÏ in 1996. Morton was a teacher, dean, linguist, historian and prominent Portland civic leader whose service to Westbrook College spanned more than 60 years. The award recognizes outstanding women with strong ties to Maine who have combined high distinction in their careers with a record of public service, or whose volunteer leadership in civic, cultural, or social causes has been exceptional.
 
The event has honored more than 180 Maine women in the past 53 years, including Margaret Chase Smith, May Sarton, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Dahlov Ipcar and former Maine First Lady Mary Herman.
 
The Deborah Morton Society has established the Deborah Morton Endowed Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance annually to two Portland Campus students who demonstrate outstanding qualities of character and leadership. The 2014-15 Deborah Morton Endowed Scholarship recipients are Brittany A. Pio ’15, a nursing student from Windham, ME and Kimberly W. Williamson ’15, a dental hygiene student from Brunswick, ME.

More on the 2014 inductees:

Brenda C. Garrand is CEO of Garrand, an integrated marketing agency representing both regional and national clients. She has been an active member of Maine's philanthropic and business community for over 30 years and serves on the boards of the World Affairs Council of Maine, The Cumberland Club, Maine Public Broadcasting Network (MPBN) and Maine & Company. Garrand is past president of the International Women’s Forum-Maine and previously served on the boards of the United Way of Greater Portland and Lewiston/Auburn, The Portland Symphony Orchestra, The Camp Susan Foundation and The Girl Scouts of Maine. She was a long-time member of the board of visitors of the Muskie School of Public Service and has served as trustee and treasurer of the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority. She is also a member of the Maine Community College Foundation Leadership Council.  

Kathleen A. Mazzuchelli was appointed as the City of Caribou’s first superintendent of Parks and Recreation in 1980. In her nearly 40 years with the Caribou Parks and Recreation Department, Mazzuchelli developed dynamic and creative programs including the Caribou Rec Xtreme and Wild Outdoor Women, and she was instrumental in the creation of the Caribou Wellness and Recreation Center. She currently serves as chair of the Healthy Maine Partnership Executive Committee and the Maine State Trails Advisory Committee, as project director for the city’s Snowmobile Advisory Committee and ATV Advisory Committee, as co-chair of the Caribou Alcohol & Drug Education Team, and director of the Aroostook County Tourism Board.  In 2013, Mazzuchelli was the first woman to be inducted into the Caribou Branch of the Maine Sports Legends Hall of Fame. 

Barbara A. Rice McDade has been director of the Bangor Public Library since 1991. During her tenure, she has automated library services, expanded service to include public computing, wireless access and online resources, and overseen two major capital campaigns – a $9.5 million addition to the library in 1997, and a second successful $9 million campaign for building renovations currently in progress. McDade is past legislative committee chair and past president of the Maine Library Association, and was named Librarian of the Year by the Association in 2002.  She is also commissioner of the Maine State Library and a co-founder and co-chair of the Bangor Book Festival. Additionally, McDade is affiliated with the Maine Justice Action League Collaboration on Innovation, Technology and Equal Access to Justice, and is the president of the League of Women Voters of Maine.

Rachel Talbot Ross is director of Equity and Multicultural Community Development for the City of Portland, chair of the Maine Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and a civil rights leader in Maine. As president of the NAACP Portland Branch and state director for the organization, Ross helps to coordinate the efforts of the Greater Bangor Area and Maine State Prison branches. Her work also encompasses the preservation and teaching of Maine’s African American history. She is co-chair of the African American Collection of Maine, and founding president of Maine Freedom Trails, where she directed the creation of both the Portland Freedom Trail and Malaga Island Freedom Trail. Ross serves on several boards including Seven Eagles Media Production and the Jean Byers Sampson Center for Diversity in Maine.

For more information about the Deborah Morton Society, the 53rd Annual Convocation Ceremony or the Deborah Morton Endowed Scholarship, visit .