Nancy Shoemaker
BARNSTABLE – The 17th annual Mercy Otis Warren Cape Cod Woman of the Year Award was presented to Nancy Shoemaker of West Barnstable during an event Tuesday.
During her acceptance speech, Shoemaker focused her thoughts on the belief that writing is powerful and that Mercy Otis Warren truly encompassed that belief.
“She was a patriot, a revolutionary loving daughter, adoring sister passionate wife, a mother who was always loving and supportive of her 5 sons, but the talent that held all of these portions together was writing,” said Shoemaker.
Shoemaker owns West Barnstable Press and offers her talents free of charge to a number of nonprofits. She has also served on the Board of Trustees of the 1717 Meetinghouse Foundation since 2012, and has been instrumental on the History and Program Committees.
Beginning in 2002, the award annually recognizes a woman who exemplifies the traits of leadership in the community and has made significant contribution to the arts, education, business, community involvement and/or volunteerism while embracing the ideals of patriotism.
“Most of us start writing at 4 or 5 years of age. We write our names, we write lists, unfortunately we write texts, but life has a tendency to get in the way of pondering, sorting out and recording with pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard. We can learn from Mercy the importance and thrill of writing,” said Shoemaker.
As an addition to the presentation, Orleans Elementary School fifth grader Molly Filteau was invited to read her first prize Mercy Otis Warren Freedom of Expression essay.
By JOHN BONDAREK, Cape Cod.Com News Center
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