Maine women recognized for achievements Journalist, activist, conservationist honored

ORONO – A Bangor Daily New arts writer, a land preservation pioneer and a peace and justice activist each received a Maryann Hartman award Tuesday night at the University of Maine.

Alicia Anstead of Castine, Sally Jacobs of Orono and Harriet H. Price of Portland were presented the annual awards in a ceremony sponsored by the Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program.

“When this is all over, maybe I could interview you,” Anstead told Kay Capo, a University of Maine graduate who shared her memories of Hartman. Capo is an associate professor of literature and drama studies at Purchase College in Purchase, N.Y.

“It’s a particular honor for me to be acknowledged with the Maryann Hartman award because I’ve interviewed about 30 Maryann Hartman award recipients,” Anstead said. “I’m looking around the room tonight, and I think I’ve interviewed about 30 people in this room who are not Maryann Hartman award winners.”

Anstead had even interviewed fellow award winner Price nearly 20 years ago for a story published by the Bangor Daily News.

During the award ceremony, Anstead was introduced by her colleague at the Bangor Daily News and the person who nominated her for the award, Kristen Andresen.

“The thread that binds together all of her work is her relentless pursuit of excellence,” Andresen said of her co-worker. “She is never, ever satisfied with ‘good enough.’

“Even with the small stories,” she continued. “Especially with the small stories. In every story, Alicia finds the humanity. She writes with grace. She makes it seem easy. It’s not.”

Anstead is the first reporter to receive a Nieman fellowship in Arts and Culture Reporting from Harvard University’s Nieman Foundation for Journalism. She is serving a 10-month fellowship in Cambridge, Mass., where she is researching the economy and business of the arts.

Jacobs has contributed to land preservation efforts in Maine for more than 30 years. She founded and implemented the Orono Bicycle Trail for biking, hiking and skiing from the University of Maine to Old Town. Her role in establishing the Orono Land Trust in 1986 led to educating, motivating and assisting other communities in developing their recreational and environmental resources.

A former university faculty member who taught bio-chemistry to more than 2,000 students, Jacobs was denied tenure because she was a wife and mother, Jean Carville of Orono said of Jacobs in her introduction. The department elected her to represent them in the Faculty Senate and that body went on to elect her its president, Carville said.

Price, formerly of Mount Desert, was an active protester of the Vietnam War. She served as the coordinator for Hancock County People for Peace in Vietnam Now. She also was chosen as one of two Maine delegates who met with North Vietnamese and American leaders in Paris in 1971 to negotiate peace.

Recently, she has led the effort to recover the history of Maine’s Underground Railroad. She is co-author of “Maine’s Visible Black History: The First Chronicle of Its People,” published last year.

Hannah Hudson, 17, of Columbia Falls was given the Young Women’s Social Justice Award for her efforts to raise awareness about autism, mentoring of children in grades four through eight, work with migrant workers, and other volunteer activities in Washington County. A senior at Washington Academy, she said after the event that she’s interested in studying art therapy as a possible career.

Hartman was an associate professor of speech communication and a distinguished educator, feminist and scholar. The awards are given each year to recognize Maine women whose achievements in the arts, politics, business, education, health care and community service provide inspiration for women.

She died in 1980 at the age of 53. The award was created in her honor in 1986.