McCrumb, Kegley, Zulia Top Kendig Winners

George Kegley

Sharyn McCrumb

Jason Garnett

The 2011 Perry F. Kendig Awards--the top awards for the arts in the region--were announced today and winners include my distant cousin Sharyn McCrumb and virtual Roanoke Valley icons George Kegley and Ernie Zulia. Jason Garnett's Shadowbox Theatre was selected for Outstanding Emerging Arts Organization. They head an impressive listing of arts contributors who make this region a glory to behold with its cultural offerings.

A reception and award ceremony will be held at the Taubman Museum of Art on May 11, 2011. For information on tickets please call 540-342-5790.

Ernie Zulia

Sharyn is often a stranger in her own home, garnering far more national attention than local, but her books speak for themselves and the Council recognized that with the Literary Artist Award. Ernie's work at Hollins University's Theater Department is, likewise, exemplary. Some of the best theater in this region is at Hollins and is at the direction of Ernie, who won the Performing Artist award.

George is the octogenarian Energizer Bunny, a man whose driving force has been vital to Roanoke's quality of life on a number of levels, including the arts. He was named the winner of the Outstanding Individual award and I can think of nobody more deserving of that award in the arts and in a whole lot of other areas. The Shadowbox resulted when Jason was fired as general manager of the Grandin Theatre more than a year ago (some of us are still furious about it) and he emerged with the imaginative and unique Shadowbox.

The other winners include Roanoke Symphony Orchestra as Outstanding Arts and Cultural Organization, Woods Rogers PLC for Outstanding Business, Joanne Steele for Outstanding Arts Educator and Douglas Jackson as Outstanding Young Professional. Nancy Dahlstrom won the Visual Artist award.


The Perry F. Kendig Award, named for the late Roanoke Valley arts patron and a former president of Roanoke College, was established in 1985 to recognize examples of support, involvement, accomplishment in the arts, and to inform the community about significant contributions to the arts in our region.The Perry F. Kendig awards are chosen by a committee of community volunteers based on nominations from the public. A reception and award ceremony will be held at the Taubman Museum of Art on May 11, 2011. For information on tickets please call 540-342-5790.


I will mention here, just to keep the conversation open, that I was on the Arts Council board until recently and that I've won a couple of these awards. That last part should not diminish their value. These people deserve the recognition.