The memory of Dorothy Davis was evoked recently by the presentation of an award to Stewartstown-area resident Mary Sue Shaw at Stewartstown’s Mason-Dixon Library.  Dorothy Davis served as librarian there for over 30 years and was renowned for fostering a spirit of volunteerism and community service among the patrons and residents. Upon her death in 1992, the Friends of the Library created the Dorothy Davis Award that is given intermittently to honor outstanding individuals from the Stewartstown area who make significant contributions to the community.

Nominations for the award were solicited this year, and among the numerous responses, it was felt that Mary Sue Shaw most consistently demonstrated those qualities for which the award was created. A list of her contributions to the area is a long one. They include being a driving force in support of the Stewartstown Sesquicentennial and serving on the committee that produced it.  She organized the Liberty Belles under the auspices of the Stewartstown Historical Society to help promote the Sesquicentennial.  She visited the area elementary schools portraying Mrs. Anthony Stewart, in 1851-period costume, to help interest children in the history of the borough. She initiated and pursued the idea of a costume ball in period dress for the Sesquicentennial, and for a similar ball a year later in conjunction with the borough’s Heritage Days.

Mary Sue Shaw took over administration of the Stewartstown Historical Society three years ago when the then-current president was in ill health. She recruited a number of new Directors, welded the new Board of Directors into a functioning unit, and breathed new life into the organization. She was instrumental in obtaining a home for the Historical Society and negotiating a fair rent from the borough council. Mary Sue initiated the idea of the Society’s coloring book portraying the growth of Stewartstown from colonial days up to the present. The coloring book was integrated into the elementary curriculum of the Southeastern School District, and a copy was purchased for each student in the early elementary grades.

At a ceremony at the Mason-Dixon Library, Head Librarian Carol Sampler presented Mrs. Shaw with a framed certificate naming her as the winner of the Dorothy Davis Award. Mary Sue’s name also will be added to the wall plaque that denotes previous winners of the award. The plaque is on permanent display in the present Mason-Dixon Library and will be moved to the new library planned for construction at near-by Bailey’s Springs development.