The Edwin P. Hubble Medal of Initiative will be presented to PJ Haarsma, Denise Gary, and Nathan Fillion for their work in founding Kids Need to Read to provide literacy resources to disadvantaged children and adolescents throughout the United States. The award is Marshfield, Missouri’s highest honor and is presented annually to those who have shown great initiative in their lifetime. The three KNTR founders will be honored during the Hubble Dinner on Friday, April 27, 2012, which takes place during the city’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival. Tickets to the dinner will be available in the spring.
The award and accompanying dinner is named in honor of Marshfield’s native son and namesake of the Hubble Space Telescope. During his long career as a leading astronomer of the twentieth century, Edwin Powell Hubble (1889-1953) discovered that innumerable galaxies exist beyond the Milky Way and proved that the universe is expanding uniformly (Hubble Constant). The Hubble Space Telescope, launched in 1990, further illustrated that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.
The first Edwin P. Hubble Medal of Initiative was awarded to Lady Bird Johnson in 2004. The most recent recipients (2011) included Dr. Martin Luther King (for demonstrating initiative during the Civil Rights Movement), Lynne Jackson (founder and president of the Dred Scott Heritage Foundation), and Dr. Christopher Sullivan (for his work in preserving American history). Mr. Haarsma, Ms. Gary, and Mr. Fillion are deeply honored to be listed among such distinguished company and to have their work recognized with this award.
Past Recipients of the Edwin P. Hubble Medal of Initiative
