Eleanor Roosevelt Keynote Honorees
The Monroe County Democratic Party re-established the "Roosevelt Reception" in 2022 as our annual Spring event. In 1950, then chair of the UN Commission on Human Rights, Eleanor Roosevelt, came to IU and Bloomington to speak on US-Soviet relations, and meet with town and gown. Bloomington is an international community that has a long tradition of being in service to the world.
Indiana University's footprint on the international stage begins with Herman Wells (pictured above), IU's long-term president and chancellor, and early champion of racial, gender, and LGBTQ+ rights in academia and Bloomington. Wells was an appointee of Franklin Roosevelt to State Department posts, advised the president on educational issues, and later worked to bring Ms. Roosevelt to IU for this visit. Through his friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt, he was himself U.S. delegate to the United Nations, in 1957.
Yet Bloomington's contribution and service to the world extend beyond the Sample Gates. Whether Lee Hamilton's voice in Congress, as chair of the House Foreign Relations Committee, and as president of the Wilson Center, to the late Frank McCloskey's terms in the US House and compassion for the citizens of Croatia during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, when Bloomingtonians go to Congress, we carry our community's compassion and belief in government service around the globe. And local residents have always held open doors for refugees, from the Dalai Lama's family in the 1950s to Syrian and Afghan refugees in the 21st Century.
The annual Eleanor Roosevelt Keynote to our party will explore Bloomington and Indiana's voice in the world, and aim to make sense of the global issues that impact the Hoosier Heartland.
Honorees
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Rosemary Ketchum
2023 - Rosemary Ketchum, City Councilperson, City of Wheeling, WV. First Openly Transgender person elected in West Virginia
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Destiny Wells
2022 - Destiny Scott Wells, Lt. Col., US Army Reserve, Attorney, Truman National Security Scholar, and 2022 Candidate for Indiana Secretary of State
The Judge Viola Taliaferro Award
The Monroe County Democratic Party established the Judge Viola Taliaferro Award in 2020 and renamed our annual fall dinner in her honor. As the first Woman of Color to serve as a judge in our community, Judge Taliaferro's story and legacy are honored by our community. A native of Virginia, the law was Judge Taliaferro's second career, after having served as a teacher and administrator in the Baltimore Public Schools. The Taliaferro family relocated to Bloomington in 1975, where Vi began law school at 44 years old, earned her JD in 1975, and began private practice in Bloomington.
Carrying her lifelong commitment to children into the law, she was appointed Monroe Circuit Court Magistrate, then Judge of Monroe Circuit Court 7. She retired in 2004. Her awards include the Indiana State Bar Association’s Women in the Law Award (1993) and the Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women’s Woman of the Year Award (2000). Taliaferro is also the namesake of the State Bar’s Viola J. Taliaferro Award (an award named in her honor which is presented to an individual or group for their extraordinary efforts on behalf of children.) (Source: IU Maurer School of Law)
The Judge Taliaferro Award was established in 2021. A committee of past and current MCDP officers established the criteria for our party's annual award:
1. A trailblazer in the spirit of Judge Vi, who worked on behalf of others, through adversity, and kept true to their values.
2. A member of our Democratic community who has contributed to advancing rights, liberties, and freedoms, and expanding justice and equity in our time.
3. A person who, through dedication and commitment to personal and professional ethics, has made our community a better place.
We honor Judge Vi's commitment to our community and honor those who share her commitment to public service.
Honorees
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Jeanne Smith
2023 - Jeanne Smith, Co-Founder and President of the Stonewall Democrats of South Central Indiana, 2016 DNC Delegate, 1996 Democratic Primary Candidate for Congress (IN-08), Small Business Owner and Progressive Activist.
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Doris Sims
2022 - Doris Sims, former City of Bloomington Housing and Neighborhood Development Director (1993-2006, 2016-2021), Community Leader and Advocate
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Mark Stoops
2021 - Mark Stoops, former Monroe County Commissioner and former State Senator
The Pat Williams Partybuilder of the Year Award
The Monroe County Democratic Party Chair established the Pat Williams Partybuilder of the Year Award in 2023. The Pat Williams Partybuilder of the Year Award is named after Patricia Williams, long-serving chairwoman of the Monroe County Democratic Party (1981-1995), Bloomington City Clerk (1981-1999), Democratic National Committee Member from Indiana, and candidate for State Clerk of Courts. Pat presided over the party’s growth and stability that cemented our party’s leadership in Monroe County in the late 20th Century and beyond. Given at the discretion of the Chair, the Pat Williams Partybuilder of the Year Award is given annually to those party members, organizations, or elected leaders who go above and beyond to register voters, knock doors, get out the vote and grow our party in an election year.
2023
Sydney Zulich and the College Democrats of Indiana University
The Ed Robertson Volunteer of the Year Award
The Monroe County Democratic Party Chair established the Ed Robertson Volunteer of the Year Award in 2023. The Ed Robertson Volunteer of the Year Award is named after Ed Robertson, long-time serving Deputy Chair for Headquarters, jack-of-all-trades, and party handyman. Like Ed, the annual Volunteer of the Year selflessly gives their time to the tasks that are often taken for granted - from setting up the booths at the fair to organizing parades to staffing tables rain or shine. Given at the discretion of the Chair, the Ed Robertson Volunteer of the Year Award is given annually to those party members, organizations, or elected leaders who do the work to behind the scenes to keep the party going without complaint nor seeking out special recognition.
2023
Novella Shuck
Bloomington’s Democratic Governors
Three early Governors of Indiana were also the first three Democrats elected Governor of Indiana.
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James Whitcomb
Monroe County Prosecutor
State Representative
8th Governor of Indiana
US Senator
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Paris Dunning
Monroe County Prosecutor
State Representative
State Senator
Lieutenant Governor
9th Governor of Indiana
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Joseph Wright
State Representative
U.S. Representative
10th Governor of Indiana
US Senator
Ambassador to Prussia