The Martha’s Vineyard Museum plans to honor five recipients at its 97th annual meeting this year. This year’s recipients are Mary Beth Grady and Allison Burger, Elaine Cawley-Weintraub, and Allen and Lynne Whiting. The celebration takes place Monday, July 29, at 5 pm at the museum.
Since 1923, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum has been the “safety deposit box” for the images, stories, objects, and voices on the Vineyard. According to a press release from the museum, as the institutional storyteller of the Island, the museum introduced the Martha’s Vineyard Medal in 2009. The medal is awarded annually to leaders in the community in recognition of their outstanding commitment to preserving the history, arts, and culture of the Island.
Mary Beth Grady and Allison Burger are co-owners of Chilmark Chocolates, an Island mainstay. Their business model is unique: produce high-quality handmade chocolates and candy while employing and training people with disabilities. The release says that the women met when they were counselors at Camp Jabberwocky more than three decades ago. They went on to become employees and eventual owners at Chilmark Chocolates, believing in every person’s potential. Chilmark Chocolates has been a staple business for the Island community, led by Mary Beth and Allison’s motto to always give back to the Vineyard community.
Elaine Cawley-Weintraub is the co-founder of the Martha’s Vineyard African American Heritage Trail. She was a history teacher at Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School for almost 30 years, where, among many things, she helped her students create mural projects that commemorated important moments in Island history. According to the release, Elaine also created a “friendship breakfast” designed to provide Brazilian students coming into the school with some comfort as well as a way to share their culture with the rest of the student body. The museum says she is a sought-after source for Island history and Irish cultural history, and is also a captivating storyteller with a voice that draws one into the importance and detail of the stories. As co-founder of the MVAAHT, she has helped dedicate over 30 historic sites across the Island, and continues to conduct tours herself throughout the busy summer season.
Allen Whiting is a 12th-generation Islander, and splits his time between farming and painting. He is known for capturing the true spirit of the Vineyard in his works, the release states, and has often been referred to as the “Island’s son.” Allen sells his paintings out of the Davis House in West Tisbury, transforming his living room into an art gallery every summer. He and his wife Lynne have donated countless landscapes to a multitude of Island nonprofits over the years, and supported numerous community initiatives along the way. Lynne began her career teaching at the Island Children’s School. She went on to work for M.V. Community Services on their Early Childhood Programs, supervising family day care providers, and then taught at the West Tisbury and Chilmark schools before joining the museum (then Historical Society) in 2002 as its first education director. Lynne has served on the boards of the West Tisbury library and the M.V. Museum. She served as vice chairman of the West Tisbury Library Foundation, and is currently vice president of Island Grown Initiative. She also serves as a patient volunteer for Hospice of Martha’s Vineyard, and volunteers at the new museum.
The museum’s annual meeting and the Martha’s Vineyard Medal Ceremony will take place on Monday, July 29, at 5 pm at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, 151 Lagoon Pond Rd., Vineyard Haven. A reception will follow the ceremony onsite. The event is free and open to all.