Mary Alys Cherry Receives BAHEP Presidential Award
For only the third time in the 35-year history of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, two prestigious awards were presented at the annual Quasar Banquet.
The Presidential Award, was presented by BAHEP President Bob Mitchell to Bay Area Citizen Editor Emeritus Mary Alys Cherry “for her passion to the community” as the crowd of 650 cheered.
Mitchell told the audience, “After a lengthy career with newspapers all over the country, including the Houston Post, this individual arrived at The Bay Area Citizen in the early 80s and decided to stay. The Presidential Award of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership is selectively presented to those individuals who serve the community tirelessly and unselfishly, giving so much of themselves on behalf of their fellow citizens. Due to her incomparable work as editor of The Bay Area Citizen, and now as its editor emeritus, and to her support of the many initiatives of BAHEP and service on its Board of Directors, the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership proudly presents to Mary Alys Cherry, this Presidential Award, for her exceptional dedication to the people and businesses of Bay Area Houston.”
Hello Mary Alys, I have wanted to congratulate you on this most prestigious award. I am proud of you and hope this is not too late. I have not been “in the crowd” lately, especially since my husband Art died two years ago but I did get a glimpse of you during the We Go Red luncheon at South Shore in February. But you were too busy and I did not want to interfere.
Life, as you must know, is not the same without my dear husband but the journey must go on, and it wasn’t too long after Art left us all that I began working on another popular history book. Which I have now completed and perhaps you would want to do a story about it. And about my writing by now three books. The title is
“Tales of a Century-Old Courthouse: New Madrid County, Missouri. I just finished a very successful Missouri book launch in the COURTHOUSE no less, and will present my book in Texas, probably at Evelyn Meador Library in Seabrook this fall. Should you wish to do this let me know and I will send a blurb about the book, etc. Thanks, Mary Alys, and I wish you happiness in being at a the helm of Bay Area Houston Magazine. Mary Sue Anton