Elizabeth H. Seligmann Award

The Literacy Council of Frederick County’s Highest Volunteer Honor

When the Literacy Council of Frederick County looks back through the years since the Council’s founding in 1963, we see the lives of over 10,000 adult learners transformed through literacy by the efforts of thousands of volunteers who have helped them through one-to-one tutoring and classes in libraries, schools, workplaces, and even prisons. By introducing students to the power of literacy, volunteers have helped them gain everyday life skills, support the needs of their families, and become an integral part of the community.

In 2001, our Board of Directors established an award to be given to volunteers in recognition of their sustained and significant contributions furthering the goals and objectives of the Council. It was an easy decision to name the Literacy Council’s highest honor in memory of Elizabeth H. (Betty) Seligmann, since her impact on the Frederick County community through the Literacy Council was immense.

The Legacy of Betty Seligmann

Betty, who died in 2000, began volunteering with the Literacy Council in 1967, and over 33 years she gave much of her time, talents, and energy to the cause of helping adults improve their lives by learning to read. She worked as an almost full-time volunteer as a tutor, trainer, board president, Basic Literacy Program Tutor/Student Coordinator, and advocate for promoting literacy in Frederick County. She attracted tutors and students through her kind, engaging personality, tireless efforts, and outreach to churches, community organizations, and businesses. She understood the history of low literacy in Frederick County and used that knowledge to find places to publicize how the Literacy Council could help. Her legacy is also honored with the Betty Seligmann Literacy Endowment Fund  at the Community Foundation of Frederick County, ensuring that the Council can continue helping future generations in Frederick County.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Betty Seligmann embodied the heart, soul, and spirit of the Literacy Council.

Award Criteria

To be nominated for the award, the nominee’s contribution should:

1. Be sustained and significant,
2. Further the goals and objectives of the Council,
3. Consist of outreach to others,
4. Reflect distinctive qualities.

Nominations can be made at any time and are submitted to the Board of Directors for approval. There is no requirement for the award to be made annually, and it will only be given when there are qualified candidates.

Read about our Elizabeth H. Seligmann Award honorees and their inspiring contributions to helping literacy lift lives in our community.

2023 Martin Cole

When Martin Cole began volunteering with the Literacy Council in 2011 he truly hit the ground running—and he’s rarely stopped. From his initiative in creating a plan that allowed a local business’s employees to learn English during the workday to scheduling Zoom lessons that fit another student’s demanding ‘round-the-clock schedule, Martin has brought to his volunteer work resourcefulness, dedication, and a work ethic that have greatly benefited the Literacy Council and the lives of his students.

2023 George Conly

After George Conly became a Literary Council tutor in 2011, during the next decade he broadened his role as a tutor, helping students find a new home, get a new job, handle medical emergencies, and much more. Because of him, in addition to essential language skills, many of George’s students acquired the confidence and wherewithal needed to cope with life’s everyday challenges.

2021 Doris Vierbuchen

Doris Vierbuchen began volunteering with the Literacy Council in 1997 after completing tutor training. She became a tutor for several students, including employees of Liberty Seafood, an early example of the Council’s outreach to local workplaces which evolved into its Workplace Literacy Program.

From 2003 to 2011 she was one of the Council’s most competent and reliable office volunteers. In 2009 she was elected to the Board of Directors as Treasurer, holding that position until 2012. At that time Doris became Assistant Treasurer, which is responsible for the daily financial activities of the Council. She was also a member of the Finance Committee from 2012 – 2017, helping to guide the financial direction of the Council.

2019 Elizabeth Brady

Elizabeth (Liz) Brady came to the Literacy Council in 1984, bringing with her expertise as a reading specialist. Over the years, she was rarely without at least one ongoing student. She served as an English as a Second Language (ESL) tutor trainer and was instrumental in combining the separate Basic Literacy and ESL programs into their current format. The evolution of the Literacy Council owes much to Liz’s commitment to adult literacy.

2018 Marianne Dacey

In 2003, former reading specialist and ESL instructor Marianne Dacey began volunteering with the Literacy Council—and quickly became an invaluable team member. Marianne partnered with another tutor to design the Council’s Restaurant Workplace English classes, for which she also served as an instructor. And leading a civics class was yet another way Marianne supported the goals of the Council as well as giving something of value to the community.

2017 Freida Pryor

Freida Pryor has covered a lot of important bases since becoming treasurer in 2005, from serving on the board of directors and staffing the office to tutoring a long series of students and updating the accounting system. When she became the ESL program coordinator, the number of students increased dramatically. Because of her special gift for organizing small group classes, the Council was able to serve the needs of more students. And she also found ways to provide new or creative resources for tutors, including a significant increase in the Council’s library offerings.

2016 Denise Dertzbaugh

After becoming a volunteer tutor in 2007, Denise Dertzbaugh has been an indefatigable contributor to the vitality and growth of the Literacy Council. She tutored one or more students continuously, volunteered for office work on a regular basis, and served on the board of directors. She also designed and conducted weekly conversation and pronunciation classes, took the lead in developing a curriculum for the Restaurant Workplace program—and then tutored classes for that program. And her public speaking engagements helped to raise the visibility of the Literacy Council among Frederick County audiences.

2013 Kate Bufter

Kate Bufter first took the tutor training for the Basic Literacy and ESL programs in 1998, and in 1999 she was elected to the board of directors. A few years later, she decided to put all her time and effort into tutoring and helping students integrate into the Frederick community. Since then, she has tutored and mentored more than 150 students, often tutoring up to 15 people at a time. Kate was also had a hand in making improvements to the ESL program and served as a valuable resource to the Council’s staff and volunteers. She served as a tutor trainer, providing most of the ESL portion of the training for nearly a decade.

2011 Elizabeth Derr

Elizabeth Derr began her connection with the Literacy Council in 1988 as an office staffer, supplies chairperson, and tutor. Drawing on her excellent organizational skills and institutional knowledge, she took the initiative to find needed tutoring materials and supplies, trained many office staffers, and signed up countless new students and tutors. Her reliability and know-how kept the office running efficiently behind the scenes.

https://www.frederickliteracy.org/in-memory-of-literacy-council-volunteers/

2010 Alice Brouillet

Alice Brouillet began volunteering as a tutor in 1993. She became a board member and eventually served as the board’s president and secretary. Over the years, Alice was also a workshop helper, service awards chairperson, office staffer, and ESL tutor and student coordinator. She was instrumental in the restructuring of the ESL program, resulting in better service to tutors and students. Equally important, she advanced the causes of the Council through numerous public speeches.

https://www.frederickliteracy.org/in-memory-of-literacy-council-volunteers/

2006 Joyce Routzahn

Joyce Routzahn came to the Literacy Council in 1978 after becoming certified as a tutor.  She often tutored four or five students at a time and promoted literacy to many groups through public speeches. She later became a supervising tutor trainer and helped to prepare many hundreds of new tutors both in Frederick County and the surrounding tri-state area, using her gift for helping people learn, whether as student or tutor.

https://www.frederickliteracy.org/in-memory-of-literacy-council-volunteers/

2005 Caroline Gaver

In addition to being awarded the Elizabeth H. Seligmann Award in 2005, on October 26, 2015, Caroline Gaver received the Governor’s Lifetime Achievement Award from the State of Maryland in recognition of her lifelong commitment to volunteerism and community service. Caroline began volunteering with the Literacy Council in 1975 and has contributed more than 28,300 hours of service in various roles. She trained about 2,500 volunteer tutors for the Frederick County Council and 500 in surrounding counties—who in turn have helped more than 8,000 adults. She has served in numerous volunteer positions, including multiple terms as board president and vice president. Her leadership ability is inspirational, her devotion to the organization, immeasurable. She raised funds, sought board members, appeared before many groups to promote the work of the Council, and attended to the quotidian details that are essential to keeping an organization vibrant and successful.

2002 Norman Paul

In 1982, retired Johns Hopkins engineer Norman Paul began a “second career” as a certified tutor with the Literacy Council that spanned 20 years. He started tutoring an inmate at the old South Street Jail in Frederick. Demand was such, he was soon tutoring students four days a week. When two of his students were transferred to the Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in Hagerstown in 1984, he agreed to continue their lessons there, adding two more days to his volunteer schedule. He even expanded his RCI classes to include math, English, Adult Basic Education, General Educational Development, and college prep. Then, in 1990, he formed a project allowing inmates who had achieved literacy to tutor other inmates. Norm brought literacy to at least 400 people—not bad for a second career.

https://www.frederickliteracy.org/in-memory-of-literacy-council-volunteers/