The Baltimore Sun is seeking 2021 Business and Civic Hall of Fame nominations | COMMENTARY
The Baltimore Sun is again seeking to recognize those who have done the most over their careers to make Maryland a better place. Over the past five years, we have honored a diverse group of men and women who have spent their lives working to improve our communities. Now we’re looking for our sixth group of extraordinary individuals to induct into The Baltimore Sun’s Business and Civic Hall of Fame — and we need your help.
Our goal is to identify people whose accomplishments over their long careers should serve as an inspiration to all who seek to advance the common good. We are looking for people who have made transformational change in diverse spheres — business, government, education, science, health, civic life and the arts — and whose public lives have been firmly rooted in Maryland. Intended as a complement to our annual Marylander of the Year award, this honor recognizes recipients’ lifelong contributions.
Nominations should be sent to talkback@baltimoresun.com and include “Hall of Fame” in the subject line, along with a brief description of your nominee’s accomplishments and background in the body of the email, along with the reasons why you believe he or she merits consideration. The deadline for nominations is Jan. 31.
We will consider nominations from the public and from The Sun’s Business and Civic Hall of Fame Selection Committee, which will consist of The Sun’s executive team and editorial board, and a panel of prominent community leaders.
Inductees for 2020 will be chosen in mid-February, and the winners will be announced in early March. In the past, The Sun has published a special section chronicling the honorees’ lives and achievements in June and held a public event that month to celebrate their efforts. Last year, we had to shift the schedule, however, because of the pandemic and ultimately held a virtual event in September. This year, let’s just say our goal is still to hold an in-person celebration in June, but we’re flexible. If we need to move the date or do it online again to ensure the safety of attendees, we won’t hesitate to do so.
For inspiration, here’s a list of last year’s inductees:
Marin Alsop, OrchKids founder and music director laureate of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; H. Furlong Baldwin, former chair and CEO of Mercantile Bankshares Corporation; Thelma Daley, the national director of Women in the NAACP; Brian J. Gibbons, chairman of the board and CEO of Greenberg Gibbons; Michael D. Hankin, president and CEO of Brown Advisory; Carla Hayden, librarian of Congress; Freeman A. Hrabowski III, the longtime president of UMBC; Gary C. Kelly, chairman and CEO of Southwest Airlines; Neil Meltzer, president and CEO of LifeBridge Health; Ozzie Newsome, Baltimore Ravens former general manager; Mary-Ann and Walter D. “Wally” Pinkard Jr., noted philanthropists supporting worthy causes throughout Maryland; Mary Ann Scully, chief executive officer and board chair of Howard Bank.
For more information on past inductees, please visit baltimoresun.com/hof.
