Updated July 30.
During the 103rd annual meeting of the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, three Islanders were recognized on July 27 for their years of committed service and leadership.
Ronald H. Rappaport, Jocelyn Coleman Walton, and MJ Bruder Munafo were the recipients of the museum’s 2026 Martha’s Vineyard Medals.
Since 2009, the Martha’s Vineyard Museum annually honors individuals whose work in historical preservation, education, literature, the arts, and community activism contributed to the Island community.
Martha’s Vineyard Museum Executive Director Heather Seger said in a press release, “This year’s honorees remind us that preserving history is about preserving the people, stories, and values that shape our community.”
Lifelong Islander and attorney, Rappaport, who passed away in 2024, was celebrated posthumously for his years of leadership and public service on the Island. In his work at Reynolds, Rappaport, Kaplan, & Hackney as an attorney and civic leader, Rappaport’s career spanned four decades in shaping the local community through municipal law, charity work, and civil counseling.
Walton, a Vineyard resident for over 80 years, was recognized for her dedication to education, historical preservation, and racial equity. Walton’s book, “The Place My Heart Calls Home,” published in 2018 and highlights her family’s links to Coleman Corners in Oak Bluffs and the larger history of African American life on the Island. Walton also spearheaded initiatives to expand educational opportunity, inclusive curricula, and to provide a place for younger generations to see themselves reflected in the Island’s history, according to a press release from the museum.
Munafo was honored for her contributions to the Vineyard’s artistic and cultural life. Munafo was the executive director of the Martha’s Vineyard Playhouse in Vineyard Haven for three decades and worked there for 40 years total. She shaped performing arts on the Island as a director, writer, producer, and arts leader, the release stated.
The annual meeting also highlighted that 2025 was the busiest year in the museum’s history, with 34,856 visitors, more than 6,000 public program attendees, and more than 2,700 Island students who participated in educational programs.
“The annual meeting is an opportunity to celebrate not only the museum’s accomplishments, but the people whose dedication continues to strengthen Martha’s Vineyard,” Seger said in the release.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly spelled MJ Bruder Munafo’s name.
